A Permafrosted Love
by White Shade
Summary: Jack feels cold all the time, and just when he feels accepted, he wants something more out of his immortal life. "You want...love, Jack?" North exclaimed.
1. Chapter 1

Today was not a running day. There was no freedom today, not when thoughts clouded him like this. Winter blistered in the towns below him as he soared through the skies, but he soon found rest on a branch overlooking the dark night. He thrived in cold, finding refuge in the north since well, 300 years ago. Winter only came once a year, and Jack made sure it began early and lasted for as long as he could make it.

He creation was never this large, but he didn't want to be seen by the children today. Today, he wanted to be invisible, an idea he thought he'd never wish for. His iced blue eyes stared at his frost-bitten hooded sweatshirt. Then to his staff as he hung one leg over the branch and allowed it to dangle there.

Sighing, for the first time in 300 years, he noticed unlike the kids, he couldn't see his breath in the air. Of course, he _was _Jack Frost, but tonight, that disturbed him some. Now that he knew who he'd been, he wished the clock could turn back and he could see his sister again. He'd saved her, but he couldn't swim. Water was a problem, but not anymore. Jack thought of family, and once in a while, he'd sit and wonder about what happened to him.

Becoming Jack Frost seemed such a blind notion to him then, and now it meant so much more. His core was fun, but tonight he wondered about his sister. How had she turned out? Did she marry? Did she have any children of her own? Jack knew he'd never find out. The best he could do was freeze time, and even that was forbidden by a guardian's oath. He could not freeze time, but he never wanted to because that would never change anything for him.

His ivory hair tickled at his ears as the winds tugged at him, as though attempting to cheer him up. However, nothing seemed to work. This was a slump, and a depressing slump at that. Some days, he thought about trying to find his body, his human body, but he didn't even know if that would be possible.

Of course, Jack never talked to anyone about this. It was too personal for anyone else to know. Tooth never shared her life before she became the tooth fairy, neither did North, or even that Easter Bunny. He tried to make a point to ask North about the bodies though, trying the think of a way to bring up the subject in which he would not come across as disturbed psychologically.

Jack accepted his role as a guardian, accepted his presence to the children, who he was, and that there was nothing that could be done to change that. Once in a while though, the thoughts were inevitable. It wouldn't have surprised him if someone said he suffered from depression, what with all the knowledge these days he lived in.

Always being the fun one seems fine and all...

A sigh escaped his lips again, and Jack stared up at the moon, hoping for an answer. As usual, there wasn't one. Maybe in another 300 years, he thought, a little joke to himself really.

A little _whisk_ went by, temporarily distracting him. It was a fairy of Tooth's, more teeth to deliver, as usual. Jack thought that perhaps he could slow down for a little while. He flew back to the north pole, where he stayed with Santa now. Things were a little different for Santa. He had Mrs. Claus to keep him company and the Yetis and even the elves. Jack felt like an outcast sometimes, but the shelter was nice. He no longer had to be alone all the time.

In his room, he'd stored his old clothes he'd kept from over the years. The holes were patched with ice and colored accordingly, but he'd kept the pieces in rather fine condition. He threw them on quickly, remembering them and the times he had. With the staff back in his right hand, he was about to head back out...

"Oh Jack!" Mrs. Claus chirped from outside his room. "I'm glad I caught you. Would you like a cookie?"

Jack had already eyed the plate she'd been holding, seeing that she'd made them only minutes ago. Warm food didn't bother him too much he'd found out, but he just didn't eat that often. Hot chocolate was a definite disaster for him however. If he even had a sip of that stuff, he got sick the next day and since he'd been living at the north pole, he understood how North had gained so much weight. This woman spoiled the man rotten!

"Sure," Jack always found he could never refuse one of Mrs. Claus's homemade Christmas cookies. He took the star from the batch, and took a bite to feel the softness almost melting into his mouth. She knew how he liked them.

"Thanks," he told her. Mrs. Claus saw something different in his eyes, but she couldn't say anything about the matter. He never talked about it, and he told her once to just leave it alone. Though she'd listened to him, she still worried for him.

His slumps had become far closer than ever to her. Jack seemed to be out all the time to her. Whenever there was a clear night, he slid along the ice he'd conjure and then she wouldn't see him again for a few days. North claimed to see him on a few occasions, but Mrs. Claus never missed Jack when he was in the house. She could just sense his presence. She knew when he was gone and she suspected of her husband to cover for Jack a time or two...or three or four.

"Jack!" Someone was calling to him and since it wasn't Mrs. Claus, the only person left was...

"Yes, Santa?" Jack asked, halting his skidding and sliding.

"Again?"

"What again?"

"Going out this late?" Santa asked. Jack put his left hand in his pocket and nodded. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine. I just-I just need to think alone is all," Jack told Santa.

"No no, tell ol' Santa what bothers you," Santa said. "The missus is starting to question methinks."

Jack sighed, turning away. "You wouldn't understand."

"Aw come now!" North boasted. "I've lived here far longer than you. You can tell me."

Another sigh. Jack knew something like this should be coming sooner than later.

"How did Mrs. Claus take it when you told her you were a Guardian?" His back was still to North.

North pondered the question carefully before concocting a response. Stroking his beard, Santa found a string of words that just might work.

"She didn't care so much," North told Jack. "She just wanted to be where I was."

"So...was she..." North knew where this was going.

"Yes. She was not a part of the chosen immortals like us," North confessed. "She came from Germany, I think. Yes, that's right, and she saw me one night. Usually it was the children I had to put back to sleep, but just as I placed the last present under the tree, there she was. The dust wouldn't work on her at all!"

Santa began to laugh at the memories.

"So, I snuck back down to see her a few times during the weekdays. She promised not to tell on me if I did that, so I did. And then one day, she decided she wanted to be with me. We fell in love and I brought her to the north pole with me and told her I was a guardian. She understood of course, with the whole factory and toy thing... Why the sudden curiosity?"

"I was just wondering," Jack said. "So, she believed her whole life. How did you change her...to be like us?"

"I didn't," Santa said. "The moon did when we married. She became immortal, just like all of us. It was fun day."

Jack turned, and there was clearly something troubling about the boy.

"Why you upset?" North asked, going to comfort the boy, but Jack refused. He took his staff and glazed North's hand with ice.

The message was clear enough: Jack Frost was used to being alone, and he still didn't trust any of them, no matter how he used to marvel at them.

"Okay," North's warm hand melted the ice as he rubbed it. "Message received. Then what is it you want?"

"You have Mrs. Claus, Tooth is far to busy for _anything_, Easter Bunny was made to run solo, and Sandy, well I don't think he really cares if..." Jack lost his speech and shook his head sharply away.

"Jack...you saying you want...You want love?" North exclaimed.

Frost looked up.

"I don't know," he replied, walking around the shop Santa was currently working in.

"Love is warm feeling," North said, as though to warn. "It is...possible?"

"I don't know!" Jack snapped, whipping the staff diagonally in front of him until it hung behind him.

North then noted his ancient clothing.

"Why you wear those?" North asked.

"Doesn't matter!" Jack exclaimed. "Say, say I _could_, say I could find someone? It couldn't kill me right?"

"No, I think not. Ask the moon."

"The moon won't answer me."

"Hm...I dunno," North was giving up. Jack's breathing had grown a little rushed as he turned to leave.

"If you do, look for someone who doesn't mind the cold!" Santa called. Jack's eyes rolled, and he flew off into the night, or rather, early morning.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

No child in their right mind was up at this hour, but Jack Frost hardly slept anyway. Jack had to discover everything for himself, and this seemed no different. Could he fall in love? It was a human thing, and he was once human, like North. As Tooth said, everyone had something. Jack was never cold in an emotional sense, so he thought for the most part, if love is a feeling, then he should be able to find someone.

Jack stopped for a moment. He wasn't even sure if that's what he needed or wanted. He found himself out of place among Mrs. Claus and North. It'd been over 300 years, and he'd always flown solo. Perhaps it was time for a change, however small. It wouldn't affect the children much, Jack would still be out here and there letting the children have some fun.

Maybe he was just too carefree for love. Santa only worked one day a year. The rest he spent inside with Mrs. Claus or the reindeer he kept. Jack knew he'd always be out having fun. That was his core.

"So...I just need to find someone with that same attitude so we can have fun together," Jack was talking to himself.

There was a new hope inside of him. There were plenty of girls in the world, one of them was bound to share his core belief. He knew there would have to be an understanding, a kind of trust between him and whomever she was out there, that he was a guardian. He had a job to do, but at the same time, he didn't want to be alone doing it.

Sure, he loved the children, seeing their faces after they had just had the ride of their life. And now they could see him, so he didn't have to worry about isolation. Yet, if something was still missing after that, the only thing left was love. Perhaps that would help him through his personal dramas, which he was having a lot of these days.

He was the only one who remained cold all year, so if he wanted to find love, he needed it to be in the winter time, when he thrived, where she could see him at work. That was another thing, seeing him. She had to still believe. When he was frozen in time to become immortal, he was about 17. Dangerous age, he just realized. New children were born everyday and some "grew up" as the term went. Jamie would never stop believing, Jack knew that, and for that reason Jack thought for sure there was someone else who would feel that way.

300 years of experiencing people, Jack thought he'd find someone who would still believe, maybe strongly enough to consider him as...a personal guardian to her. The lights remained to cover the globe that spun in Santa's factory. Pitch was gone, and now Jack felt to some degree that all he had to do now was build up something for himself and protect the children.

He began with the seasonable winter continents. Maybe there was someone there who liked the cold. At the age of 17, Jack didn't know how people could suddenly move from place to place. That was usually _his_ job.

There were a few girls wide awake, beginning their banquets for the evening already. People had this odd tradition of eating a lot around the November and December months. The children talked about it all the time, about what their families made for dinner and then breakfast on Christmas Morning. Seemed like Santa got most of the attention around here. He always did.

"Come on, Mal," a voice sounded.

"Aw, but Mum, why can't I jus' go and an' play with the other children in th' morn?" the girl complained.

"Mal, this is your first year, in a few days, you'll be an adult and you have to start taking responsibility for the Christmas dinner and brunch that's tomorrow," the voice must have been her mother.

Jack peered in the window to see the two in the kitchen. He'd landed in Scotland, and he could already tell there was arguing in the air. That seemed rather common.

She had red hair, Mal, and her eyes were green. She wore a red dress that didn't look too comfortable but she didn't put up too bad of a struggle in it. There was a gold embroider to it, and Jack found the home to be quite cozy. There was a fireplace going in the family room too, and Jack felt a little out of place spying on them.

There was a shattering sound, and Jack turned his head to see the broken jar the mother had dropped.

"Oh, drat!" the mother said, a hand over her probably pounding heart.

"Mother!" Mal gasped. "Look!" She was pointing at him. "There's someone outside!" Jack panicked and Mal was heading for the door.

"Mal! Get back here!" her mother gasped.

"I'm sorry, Mum. Be back in a little bit!" she called. Jack froze in place as she opened the door. He jumped on the roof, but it was too late she caught him.

"Hey! Come back!" she called. Jack's head turned.

"Jack," she said. "What are ye doing?"

"You can still see me," Jack said, a tad breathless. "I didn't mean to oppose. I can see you're busy."

"Oh, naw, it's jus' my mum," Mal said. "She's tryin' to get me ta 'grow up'."

"I hope that never happens," Jack said, drawing a few icicles to hang over her rooftop. "I'm just messin' around, you know. I'll be back later."

"Oh...okay. Bye bye then," Mal replied. She sulked back inside, and he put some frost on the window. he drew a Christmas tree and some presents underneath it.

When she was putting the slices of carrots in the refrigerator, her eyes averted to the window where Jack left his picture, and she smiled, remembering her past Christmases and what she was building up. Now that she was 17, soon to be 18, Mal thought cooking wasn't so bad, but Jack's picture reminded her what Christmas was about. And so she worked.

"I don't think she'd be right," Jack said. This was going to be harder than he'd originally thought. He could fly for a year and still not find the right girl, and once he realized that, Jack became more determined. This was something else to do. He slid his way across the ocean, that was one of his favorite things to do with his staff.

The ocean was so vast that it almost never froze. Jack remembered the one year Niagara Falls completely froze, and that was a sight to see. He thought he'd never freeze that waterfall, ever. But then one year, he just did. He scaled it over and over and over again until it stopped altogether. The people marveled at that one, but he never did it again. At least, not yet. It wouldn't be as special if he did it every year, and besides, that was a lot of work!

Jack never wanted to freeze the ocean, just make his own path as he slid right along it. That was always fun, and he felt like he could run forever. He found himself running across Russia, where he didn't stop just yet. He could always go back there. For now, there were other places were it was getting a little chilly only for the time being.

He danced across the ice rinks until he came to France. Paris was beautiful, with the Eiffel Tower all decked out in bright red lights. Christmas was probably one of his favorite times of the year. He could go anywhere. Easter Sunday, he couldn't slide across the ground or freeze the ponds.

Like every year, Jack observed everything and thinking about how lucky he was to do such a thing every year. People did all sorts of things around this time of year, and the commotion was intense. Every store was crowded with people trying to get a good buy for their family members, friends, maybe even co workers. There were a lot of people in Europe, and Jack wondered through the crowds. It was still fairly early, but the sun was showing already here. Some children looked at him with wonder and amazement.

As far as the girls went, only a few could actually see him. There was one with blonde, curly hair, but since she was with her friends who couldn't see Jack, she merely glanced at him, offered a smile and then gave him a look that told him she couldn't play right now. He only smiled back as he began gliding along the sidewalks. He had something else to do.

She didn't really see him as anything past what he did as a guardian anyway. There was another that caught his eye in France. Jack knew he'd have his pick of the girls, but he was weary. He didn't want to be wrong about his choice. North chose well and probably the first time. Jack could only hope to be as wise.

A few of them just went right through him, so even though he though otherwise with the cute blonde that caught his eye, it made his selection easier. He needed a believer. In Germany, there were plenty of them. He changed his tune to be as fun as he usually was for the time being Interaction was the best thing for him.

_Maybe if I just go about my core, one will just come along,_ Jack thought. That seemed like a fine idea. For a few weeks, Jack spent his days in Germany playing with every child and every teenager that still believed. The older kids stayed out a little later, helping him out a little when it came time to really look.

As he wondered the popular hangouts, he didn't expect to be noticed. Lots of dance clubs around for Germany. There were still teenage girls out with their friends, and so far, none were seeing him. He walked inside. It must be some kind of Christmas dance. Yes, that would explain the music and all the couples walking in. Jack frosted the windows and let the snowflakes do their work before he left the establishment.

That dance went very late into the night, and Jack decided to leave Germany for now. He skidded back to the north pole to get his sweatshirt. He sort of missed it, but when he got to his room and actually touched it, he threw in back upon the bed.

"Jack Frost!" Mrs Claus called. Jack couldn't blame her. He was in rather plain view and walking through the house. He was practically waiting for her to find him.

"Mrs. Claus," Jack said, turning his head towards the living room where she was knitting another scarf for North.

"Where have you been, child?!" she exclaimed, putting her work down and standing to walk over to him. He met her half way, letting the staff fall.

"Oh, here and there," Jack said.

"North tells me you're looking for a girl," Mrs. Claus said. North couldn't keep anything a secret. Jack sighed.

"I think it would help," Jack said. "Me...with certain stuff."

"You're lonely," Mrs. Claus observed. "It's all right, I understand."

"No you don't," Jack said. "You're not me."

"That may be true, but when I met North, I didn't care if he was a Guardian or not. I loved him. I'm sure there's someone out there for you too," Mrs. Claus reassured.

"Thanks," Jack replied. "Well, I'm still looking, so, I'll be around."

"Take some cookies at the very least," Mrs. Claus said. "I made a batch last week and I will make more tomorrow. North goes through them like cake, but I saved a bag just for you."

She sat back to do her knitting, rocking in the chair.

"Thanks," he said, going into the kitchen and retrieving the bag she told him was in her secret cabinet. Hey, she had to hide _some_ things from North if she wanted to eat any of her goodies herself!

And then he was off again.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Chapter three! This fanfic is going to keep updating I hope fairly steadily. Enjoy.

**Chapter Three**

_Stay away from the tropics Jack_, he told himself as he drifted down the west coasts of Canada and the US.

He could go there if he really wanted to, but his staff needed a lot of energy and so did he. If he was at loss after this, he would take the trip, but not today. There was still some winter left, but there was never any snow in the middle of California and down. There it stopped. He drifted through the southern portion first, knowing that by now, that was as cold as it was going to get there. Still nothing, but a lot of believers. Which was good, Jack wasn't complaining. He was still having his fun with them, but still searching at night.

When he grew tired, he flew up and slept in a tree. Nothing he wasn't used to. He awoke in Oregon, the last place he remembered so at least he didn't teleport or sleep walk out of the tree. One time, he flew across the world in his sleep, so he was leery sometimes, not that it mattered much anymore. No Pitch, no fear.

It was getting warmer, so he had to make his way north again. Of course, he could make another like the Blizzard of '68. However, the bunny might not like that. He slid into Canada, right across the boarder. Adults were more fun when they didn't notice him, and Jack preferred it that way.

There was a village that looked nice enough to him so he felt he should stop and take another rest. Things weren't looking too good. He'd been the Europe and found nothing. Not a single girl that he thought would work. Not only were his selections limited by the number of people his age still believing, but he was more surprised at the fact that none of the girls were risk taking anymore. They believed, but they were more careful than they used to be.

* * *

"Anna! You get back in here right now! Get your brother off of the roof!" a voice was yelling, but panic was not the word Jack would use to describe the situation.

"It's not my fault he gets stuck up there!" the girl yelled in return. Jack saw her walking away as the boy screamed from the top of the roof like he was Donkey Kong or something.

"William! You get down here," the mother scolded the boy, but the boy was having none of it. Jack flew up, and the boy looked up at him.

"Jack Frost!" the boy exclaimed. Jack made a path of ice off the side of the house and kicked the boy down, and the child laughed the whole way like it was a slide.

The mother looked confused at her child who has just tumbled into a pile of snow. The boy went on and on about Jack Frost and how he helped him get down and that he had so much fun sliding on the ice. The mother shook her head, calling out to Anna again. However, Anna was already about a mile away, nearly hitting the marketplace. Jack had already thought to follow.

She struck him as pretty. Her hair was long, the color of dark chocolate, and she had natural curls that extended to her lower back. Anna's eyes were emerald green, and she wore a matching skirt with a white hooded sweatshirt. Her boots were black, and she was walking along with a basket at her side.

Jack threw some ice alongside her, and he swiped the basket with success. Now that's a believer.

"Hey!" Anna exclaimed. "Give that-Jack?"

"Hey," Jack replied, sliding in front of her and holding out the basket. "You can see me? At your age?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Anna asked, sounding a little offended.

"Well, it's just...by now, not many girls can see me," Jack told her.

"Oh, I'm so glad not to be considered normal," Anna rolled her eyes as she kept walking, taking her basket back.

"I didn't say it was a bad thing," Jack said. "You need to lighten up." He threw more ice down and grabbed her hand, dragging her across it. Anna skated on the path he made by herself, and he glided in front of her so the ice remained constant.

"That the best you got?" she asked, rather disappointed but in a bantering sort of way. He looked back at her in surprise.

"Really? Is that even a question! I'm Jack Frost," he replied, creating twists and turns. Anna followed as Jack took her empty basket again. No skates or nothin', she just went! That impressed him.

There was a log up ahead. Jack's eyes widened as he created a jump, and Anna did a graceful triple spin, landing backwards as she would if she had skates on. Then she walked off the ice. Jack stopped the flow of ice and stared at her.

"I'm impressed," he confessed.

"I live in Canada, I ice skate all the time, _you_ should know that," Anna told him.

"I play with thousands of children in a week's time. You expect me to learn names?" Jack asked. Anna took her basket back and they walked together in the middle of the forest on the way to the market just up ahead.

For a while, Anna took a closer look at him now that he was actually slowing down. She noted that he was barefoot, and his dark tan pants that looked as though he was growing out of them.

"I've never seen you wearing that before," she pointed out, looking at his attire.

"Oh, yeah that," Jack said. "It's from a long time ago. I used to wear it all the time."

"It looks old," she said. "So, what brings you here?"

Jack didn't know what to say to that. He didn't just want to give away his purpose and scare her. This one actually might work.

"Just around. The season's going away down south. I can still have some fun here," Jack told her. She didn't seem convinced, but she accepted his answer nonetheless. After all, he was Jack Frost.

"So, you like to ice skate I take it?" Jack said. "Well," he stopped her. "How about, how about I take you for a ride tonight? I know this great place. It should be fun."

"What?" Anna gasped. "Me, ice skate at night?"

"Would you?"

"Yes...yes of course! Where?" Anna asked.

Inside, Jack felt his heart leap with wonder and a happiness he could not describe. He crossed in front of her.

"How does the frozen lake just beyond the hills sound?" Jack asked. Anna didn't know that place, and so she begged Jack to tell her where it was.

"All I can say is, you've never ice skated until you've been on that lake. It's famous, I promise you, you won't be disappointed. I'll pick you up then and take you to it myself...tomorrow. Nine," Jack said. "It'll be fun." He made it sound like a popular group hangout.

"In the morning?" Anna asked.

"Of course not."

Anna smirked, ready to take on this ice skating thing Jack was setting up. She agreed, telling him she had some work to do, and dealing with her mother wasn't going to be the most fun thing to do tonight. Anna was never too good at obeying orders anyway. Freedom was what she loved, though lately she'd felt tied down a little, what with her brother and mother being so fussy over every little thing.

Partially why she accepted what Jack Frost had to offer her. A night to have fun with other people and a Guardian to watch it all, what could be better?

Jack flew off to explore the rest of the day, visiting the lake he and Anna were going to skate on. Not wanting to cheat too badly or show off, Jack rode across the lake, freezing it solid to support the weight for about 20 people, just in case. He couldn't afford to risk the ice cracking.

* * *

He rushed back to the north pole where he sped through the window of the living room, startling Mrs. Claus half to her death.

"No flying in the house!" She yelled.

"I know," Jack called quickly, landing in the hall and running to his room. Mrs. Claus shook her head and stood up to shut the window Jack blew open. Shaking her head, she wondered what that boy could be up to now.

Letting out a sigh to calm herself, North then comes bashing through the front door, scaring her once again.

"Where's Jack?" he said.

"His room," Mrs. Claus replied. "Will the both of you stop startling me today!"

"Sorry Dearest," Santa said, giving her a kiss before going to Jack's room.

"Whoa whoa!" North exclaimed from the hall. Jack let out a yell.

"KNOCK WILL YA?!"

"Didn't think you'd be-"

"Shut the door!" Jack slammed it before North even had the chance to register what the boy had said. North blinked then let out a deep laughter. Jack, after wrapping himself accordingly in a blue towel, had to laugh too.

Jack opened the door again to see North still standing there.

"Learn to knock," Jack said through laughter. "You gave me quite the scare."

"I'm sorry. I'm just not used to you being all, exposed...where are you going?"

"Shower," Jack replied. North blinked again.

"Shower? You never shower...well don't use all the hot-oh wait a minute."

"Nice joke big guy," Jack replied, closing the door to the bathroom.

Santa made his way back into the kitchen, where he munched on a few cookies.

"How does he survive on a cold shower?" North wondered. "I mean, he's Jack Frost but still. He can be in warm places but prefers a cold...I give up. But, something else is up. I can feel it...in my belly."

His stomach growled. Mrs. Claus let down her glasses to sit just on the tip of her nose as she looked at him.

"I think it's the cookies," she told him.

North let out another deep _HOHOHO,_ and then began to wonder what was really going on with Jack. He never seemed so eager to take a shower.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

The rush of ice water gliding off his skin and the crystal droplets as he shook his frosty hair excited him. He rinsed out the shampoo through his hair. He hadn't done this in a while, so he put an extra quarter-sized pile of shampoo into his hair and scrubbed. He watched ice shatter onto the shower floor into little forms of frozen water. With his body, he used regular soap, finding that, as usual, soap didn't like to create as many suds in cold water. Not that he cared too much.

He flipped the valve off, placing the rag he used to wash his face on one of the racks in the shower. Not really in much of a rush, he dried off with the towel he'd brought with him. After squeezing out some of the water so his hair could dry faster, Jack came out of the bathroom to find Mrs. Claus bring back his clothes he'd been wearing this morning. He'd left them laying out.

"Mrs. Claus!" Jack exclaimed. "Did you wash those? Because, it has to be done by...hand."

Mrs. Claus merely smiled at the boy, laying out his clothes on the bed for him.

"I know these are very important to you, Jack. I wash everything by hand," she explained. "I washed that hoodie of yours too. You'll have to get the frost back on it yourself. I'm sure you'll manage."

Jack didn't know what to say as she walked away, the smell of cookies radiating from her body as usual. He thought to say thank you, but the phrase seemed so worn out from how many times he'd already said it to her. He felt he owed her more than just the words.

In his room again, Jack dressed into his older clothes, finding they could make for a fine occasion if he wanted them to. On his dresser, there was something there that wasn't there before. It was a spray of some sort. Along the side it read "dark chocolate" and then there was another that read "peppermint". He knew what this was. They were scents that guys could put on. Girls did so more often. Mrs. Claus told him once it was called perfume when a girl to wore it.

Two selections? Jack suspected it was the work of Mrs. Claus again. He swore she knew everything that went on at the North Pole. _Everything._ Jack couldn't decide which one he wanted. He didn't know Anna that well, so to make an impression on her would be difficult. Some people don't like peppermint or chocolate. The chance was overwhelming to him. So, he did what he thought accordingly.

"You're wearing both?" Mrs. Claus observed as he emerged.

"Couldn't decide," Jack said.

"So I was right then?" Mrs. Claus asked as Jack went into the living room. "Well, the scent suits you I'll admit that."

"How did you know?" Jack asked.

"I had the same look on my face when North first asked me on a date," Mrs. Claus said. "You're never in a hurry, Jack Frost." A hand came up to rub the back of his neck.

"Just be yourself," Mrs. Claus said. "You look very nice."

Jack nodded, walking out the door into the crisp air of the north pole.

* * *

The air had never felt so crisp, so alive, so full of energy as it did that night. With the sun gone by 5, Jack flew with an ease he'd never known himself to have. It was always natural, he never forced it. Just tonight, his lift felt lighter. The moon was light's only source, and Jack could not help but take in the air's frosted chills. He landed near her house, wanting to look natural in case anyone saw him. Straightening his hair so it held just the right amount of air brush, Jack made sure he was ready before he knocked on the door.

Wait, knock on the door? Since when did he knock on doors? Well, only she would hear him, but what if others could too?

He went to window instead, floating slowly and taking his sweet time to find her room. She was sitting there, her ice skates draped at her bedpost and she wore her warmest clothing. Jack remembered that people got cold easily. Perhaps the trip would be short lived for him, but that was all right.

She wore a dark green cloak with long, brown garments underneath. Her pants were a special type to help prevent the wind from getting to her. Jack tapped on the window glass only slightly before the snowflakes appeared on his window.

Her head turned, and she smiled seeing him at the window. She opened it.

"Are you ready?" Jack asked.

"Yes," she replied, grabbing her ice skates. He held out a hand so she could take it. Closing the window behind her, she froze with fear as she almost slipped.

"What's wrong?" Jack asked.

"I'm not very much for heights..." she told him.

"I'll fly low," Jack promised, and this was one he intended to keep. Anna nodded, climbing onto his back. "Hold on."

He started with a foot off the ground, and she seemed to do okay as long as the ground wasn't too out of reach. When he extended to six feet in the air, she began to enjoy the height more and more. Jack scaled the hills until they came to the lake he wanted her to see.

"It's beautiful," Anna gasped. Just beyond the trees there was a lake, and fairly large one.

It was frozen over, glistening against the moonlight reflecting an ice sheet almost blue. The surface was smooth and slippery. Perfect, thanks to Jack. Snow held a boarder around the entire thing in case she would slide off (not that she would, but knowing there would be soft snow put her mind at some level of ease). The Evergreen trees shrouded the area, so no wonder she'd never seen this here before. There was a larger tree that sat alone in its kind, the perfect spot for privacy. Anna walked around until she came to the tree while she saw Jack already out on the ice.

She laughed to herself.

"Show off," she called into the night, where all she could hear was her own voice and the echo as Jack hit the ice.

"I can't help it," Jack replied, almost as if apologizing, but not quite.

He slid right next to her, not watching too well as to how far away he'd end up in comparison to her. About a foot of space was left between them. Anna had just put her skates on.

"Ready?" Jack asked, his blue eyes curious and anxious.

"Yes, but go slowly!" she warned him. "I'd like to warm up before anyone else gets here."

"There is no one else!" he exclaimed.

Jack took her hand quickly and brought her out onto nature's rink, where she began skating around the lake, slow as if she were testing the surface. Jack let her go on her own as he went off around and around, practically drawing circles around her as he laughed.

"If you're worried about the surface, don't be," Jack said. "It's frozen solid. Trust me."

Anna tilted her head to one side and rolled her eyes up in consideration that she was with Jack Frost, and if he said it was solid, the statement was probably true. She skated backwards and spun around on the ice, and Jack watched for a moment. Anna's cloak waved behind her as she let her arms come out for balance. They flowed like an ocean's tide as she went around in a circle, getting her body used to the motion.

Last time, she was in her boots, as Jack was now, only slightly less experienced than Jack of course. Now, in her ice skates, Anna was letting loose once more, this time on her own. Jack rejoined her at her side as they skated together for a little while.

"Can't you go two minutes without having to fly up?" Anna asked. Then she prepared for a double spin, lifted herself up and allowing herself the proper height, landing perfectly backwards.

"But it's fun," Jack said, coming around.

"Fine, I'd like to see you try this," Anna said. She stopped herself and started again, rushing to the center of the lake and there launching herself to do a triple spin and land spinning around like a top until her leg was perpendicular to her other. She let her foot down and skated back around.

"Impressive," Jack had to admit. "Where did you learn to do that?"

"When I was little, I'd watch the best of the best practice for tryouts. I always wanted to do what they did, but not for competition. I mean, I know competition makes you work harder, but I don't know. There's something about it. There's no freedom, and the expression is forced," Anna said.

Jack listened as he slid along next to her.

"Like, the people on the rink look so serious, and I just want to look good, but feel good about what I'm doing at the same time. Who cares if you score perfect on the triple bell cow, the point is you can do it and have fun, right?" Anna asked, looking at Jack.

"That's how I'd look at it," Jack agreed. "I wish you could feel what I feel."

"How do you mean?"

"Well, when I lift off, I can fly," Jack told her. "I can do as many spins as I want and land smoothly. Gravity keeps you down, and if you could fly...pfft, I'd like to see what you could do."

Anna pondered what it would be like to fly. Jack had her on his back before, but her fear of heights might get in the way, so she shook her head to rid of the thought altogether. She wouldn't be able to do such a thing.

"So...Jack Frost," she said curiously as she turned herself around to face him. "Why the special occasion?" She thought there would be others here.

"Special occasion?" Jack asked, looking around.

"Yeah. I mean, I haven't heard that you take people out like this just to go skating," Anna said, tilting her head and looking at him. She was smart enough that was for sure. Jack was trying to avoid that subject as much as possible tonight, but now she was asking about it.

"I cannot tell a lie," Jack said. "I feel rotten if I do." He sighed. "It's complicated. Are you sure you want to know?"

Anna spun around, grabbing him unexpectedly so they both spun together. His staff fell onto the ice and both of his hands were in hers as they spun around and around and around and around in overlapping circles until she stopped them. It was a great distraction for that time, and Anna knew how to have some fun with him. He had been caught totally off guard.

"Yes," she replied to answer his question from before. Jack slid to grab his staff back, sighing as he stopped, and he looked her in the eyes.

"I live at the North Pole," Jack said, turning away again and walking along the ice. "And it's great you know, I got all the room in the world to screw off in, and Mrs. Claus is a delight and all, baking cookies all the time and keeping the Yetis in line..."

"Yetis?...I thought the elves made the toys," Anna said in question.

"Oops..." Jack turned back to her, wincing one eye and creating a little smirk along his face that said it all. "Spoiler alert."

"Okay, go on," Anna urged. Another sigh.

"And...it got me thinkin'. How much longer could I keep being like this? Not, not the guardian, that part's fine," Jack was rambling now.

"Jack," Anna said, grabbing him by the shoulders until he was forced to look at her. "If you don't want to tell me, that's fine."

"I do, it's just...not yet. I don't want to tell you yet," Jack honestly said. Anna nodded, accepting the answer for now, telling him that was all right with her.

He looked at her with a face she'd never seen before. In his eyes pierced something new, something she hadn't seen before when looking at Jack Frost. As a guardian, fun and happiness were always displayed across his face and the truth stood in his ice blue eyes. But this time, no, this time was different. Anna felt a _human_ connection with Jack this time. Like he wanted to tell her something, but he couldn't for whatever reason.

As her evergreen eyes looked into his, she felt something else very strange. For many moments, without realizing it, they were staring at each other. Neither of them made a movement besides breathing.

"Um, thanks," Jack broke the silence and their eye contact. He couldn't take it anymore. It wasn't that her eyes were annoying or anything, he just didn't want to look back into hers. He didn't know why, but he was embarrassed to admit what he truly felt.

"For your understanding."

"Oh, yeah yeah," Anna said, shaking her head a little and blinking twice. "No problem."

"Have you had enough?" Jack asked. "You seem tired." He was observing me as I yawned. We must've been out there two hours.

Anna told him it'd be best if she got some sleep, so he let her change back into her boots and held onto Jack as they flew through the trees, Anna reminding him not to go too high. He laughed her off a little nervously.

"Does your mom believe? In me?" he asked.

"I don't think so," Anna told him, looking off to the ground. "She didn't see you when you threw the ice path in front of my brother."

Jack landed with her outside her window where Anna snuck back into her room.

"Thank you," she said. "I haven't been ice skating in a while. I had fun."

"Good. I'm glad," Jack said, looking up to the skies. "I should probably get going."

Anna nodded, watching him as he stared at the moon for more than one moment. The staff in his hands, and the ice trail behind him where he'd been sliding. He really did look like a guardian. He looked back to her, his white rabbit hair being swiftly rocked by the wind's temperament.

"Bye, Anna. I'll see you later," Jack said, turning back to the rooftop. She watched him take off as he jumped off the rooftop and flew into the night.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

As he came to the ocean, Jack could not resist. He ran across the ocean, and with each step, another ice formation trailed behind. His staff tightly gripped from excitement, Jack felt like he could run all night! So much energy all of a sudden. What had come over him?

From his mouth escaped the sounds of joy.

"WWOOOOOOOOHHHHOOOOO!" He screamed into the night, the echo drowning in the wind all the way down to the North Pole.

The slick ice made even him slide almost out of control as he hit a hill going downward. He jumped and flew through North's shop until he came to the house, where his energy had only died down a little bit. He burst through the door, out of breath for the first time in a long time, and he ran right into his room.

Mrs. Claus shook her head and smiled.

* * *

She never expected Jack Frost to smell like peppermint _and_ dark chocolate, that was for sure. Though she hadn't said anything, Anna had definitely noticed. Ever since she was little and saw Jack Frost, she thought of fun, never what he smelt like or what he did when he wasn't with other children or herself. He always made sure the children that believed were having a good time, but when Anna herself had some fun with him then, compared to this time, the situation seemed different.

Then, it was sleds and snowball fights and snow angels. This time, it was ice skating, something she'd never seen him do until tonight, and what was even more odd, is that he took only her. Part of her expected there would be plenty of people at the lake, ice skating, as if Jack had recruited some children or other people like her who believed and it would have been something more towards group fun.

But it was just him and her...like a date.

"Did I just...did we...I just went on a date! With Jack Frost!" Anna exclaimed to herself. She couldn't believe she didn't see that before. He made the hill seem like a hangout where many people still believed and she thought Jack was there to see everyone having fun on the ice.

In fact, it was just them, and she'd thought to point that out to him, but then she got distracted. Anna remembered staring at him, and the way they looked at each other. She wasn't sure what it was, but it was strange. The feeling. She didn't know what to make of it.

Anna's head shook again as she changed into her sleepwear and covered herself with her warm, fuzzy blanket and drifted off to sleep, the moonlight shining down into her room...

* * *

"I take it things went well?" Mrs. Claus asked as she entered Jack's room where he was in his ragged old tan pants, the staff leaning against the bedpost and the dark brown coat he wore had recently been hung, so all he wore were the pants and the light tan shirt. Even his brown vest was off and hung properly on the opposite bedpost.

"Yes," Jack sighed. "Yes, they did." He closed his eyes. Mrs. Claus set a plate of cookies on Jack's dresser.

"Give those to her the next time you see her," Mrs. Claus instructed him.

"What? Why?" Jack asked. Mrs. Claus never answered his question, and she just walked out of the room like everything was totally normal. Well, normal for the North Pole.

Jack didn't know what to do next. He'd just went on, what the mortals would call nowadays, a date. Anna was nice, she still believed, and she was not showing any signs of stopping any time soon. Jack paced back and forth, unsure of what to do with himself. He made a few rounds the next morning, giving the children in New York City a snow day from the blizzard he created from scratch last night out of his emotions.

All of his feelings were out of control, but after the blizzard, Jack felt better. Continuing his work was no sweat, taking a few sleds on some wild rides with children who could see him and others who hadn't quite gotten the message yet.

"It's Jack!" a little girl exclaimed, pointing up at him.

"Who's Jack?" the boy asked as he got off of his sled. Jack had just taken him across the icy patch of the hillside.

"The guy who gives you snow days and fun on the sled," the little girl said. "See? He's right there!"

Then the little boy's eyes were opened, and right there, as if he'd been in the dark for so long, the boy could see Jack Frost. He smiled at the boy, who then waved, and thanked him for the ride. The two rushed up the hill, but only the little girl looked back and smiled at him.

That was common, Jack had noticed. The girls believed longer than the boys. They appreciated the Guardians' art more. Not to say the boys didn't, but it was a trend Jack had noted to himself. And to find someone like Anna who still believed... Jack worried about the days before the children knew he existed. If people like Anna lost faith, the Guardians would be in big trouble.

Anna, his thoughts kept drifting back to her, no matter how much he wanted to prevent that scenario. Truth be told, he was nervous. He was nervous about what she thought of their ice skating date, if she even knew what he was asking that first time, since their little conversation at the end.

All he could picture were her eyes as they looked at him. Did she think the same way he did? Jack never could tell; and after all those years of studying boys and girls, he never observed this, since he only paid serious attention to children. Children never felt this way. Then again, Jack didn't know what this feeling was either. He'd been known to act like a child himself as a Guardian and to let kids have fun, not feel what "grown ups" feel.

Jack had never thought about someone else like this, probably because for the past 300 years, things had only been one way. He wasn't a Guardian, and his perception of things had been drastically different then. Now, his eyes were exposed to many new concepts like the strength of belief and North's management of his core. He had Mrs. Claus too, someone to share his core with, his passion, and Jack was no dummy. It was crystal clear how happy North was.

That's what he wanted. Someone to share his center with. Someone who knew how to have fun and would never grow out of it. Not necessarily to stay a kid forever, but to never lose sight of fun, what it is, and what it means. More specifically, Jack needed someone whose fun matched his, and that would be the hardest part of all.

So, for the rest of the day Jack flew through the air, wanting to see Jamie. For the ride, he put in his earphones, a gift from North who insisted they were some kind of latest trend with the children. They were fine for travels, but the music Jack listened to consisted of Christmas carols. He wasn't too "in touch" with technology, as people say now.

North on the other hand, he was full of it. Bunnymund even had his own i-pod, which Santa had gotten him for Easter one year. Now it was Jack's turn, he supposed. His i-pod was an emerald green and he had a white cord with matching earphones. Christmasy enough, Jack figured.

He didn't listen to it that often, but today was different. Often was not today's word of description, and neither was ordinary.

"Jack Frost!" Jamie yelled, and the Guardian turned, realizing he'd already landed on the boy's roof out of habit and routine.

The boy was just ready to go out with his sled, and he'd almost walked past the driveway. Jack landed on the ground.

"Hey, what are you doing?" Jack asked.

"I'm gonna go meet my friends and go sledding today," Jamie said, becoming hyped up. "Are you gonna come with us?"

Jack laughed.

"Sure." Jack figured to get his mind off of things. "Hey, a quick thing before we go."

"Yeah?" Jamie's eyes wondered at him, and Jack glanced at them for a moment.

"Do you know how to work a computer?" Jack asked.

"No, but my friend does. She's a real tomboy. I'm sure she knows a thing or two, why?"

"I was just wondering if maybe she could help me out, if you could ask her for me. Let's go," Jack replied. Jack let the staff drag behind him as Jamie jumped on the sled.

"Are you sure I'll be okay?"

"Promise kid," Jack said. The boy jumped onto the sled and Jack took off running.

"Whooooaaaaa!" Jamie yelled through the wind as Jack made the path swivel and swirl, looking back to make sure Jamie was okay. He leaned forward, practically trusting Jack to be in complete control, and the Guardian pulled through for him.

They always did, and when they didn't, it meant something was seriously wrong. As in, Pitch wrong. But not today!

"Thanks, Jack," Jamie said as he was about to join his friends.

"No problem. See you Jamie," Jack said. He would talk to Jamie's friend later about the computer and his i-pod.


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Tiffany is the tomboy girl's name. I made it up b/c I don't remember her name ever being said.

**Chapter Six**

Tiffany was all about anything and everything electronic. She was probably the only kid around these parts who could keep her beliefs and technological abilities totally separated.

She wasn't with Jamie today on his sledding trip. She'd gotten a new computer program for her birthday and was anxious to try it out. As the girl was fussing over it on her laptop, there was a rap on her window.

At first, she dismissed it as the wind or perhaps another icicle had fallen off the roof. After all, her father _was_ up on the rooftop putting up the Christmas lights. Sighing as she took control over the computer's services, Tiffany smirked. It looked to Jack like some kind of picture...

He tapped again.

"Tif," Jack said, opening the window.

"Oh, Jack Frost!" Tiffany exclaimed. "Hi, I didn't know you were there. I'm sorry, but I can't come out today."

"I know, I know," Jack laughed as he found his way onto her desk where she was working with her computer. "I've come to see if you could help me with something."

"What is it?" she asked. Jack pulled out his i-pod.

"Whoa! You have one of those?" Tif exclaimed. "I'd have never thought you...what do you listen to?"

"Well, Santa likes all those Christmas carols. I don't know a thing about those computers and I hear you're the one to come to."

Tiffany blushed a little, turning back to the project she had been working on. Jack looked at the picture to see that it was a picture of her and her friends, only this time, something didn't seem quite right to Jack.

"When were you guys up in space?" he asked. Tif laughed.

"We never were. It's called Photoshopping," Tiffany explained. "It's where you can take pieces of pictures to create an entire new one. This will becoming my desktop when I'm done."

"What's the desktop? This here?" Jack asked, pointing at the actual desk they were around. Tiffany shook her head, explaining that a desktop was the background of the computer screen.

Jack returned the topic of his i-pod issue. He explained about his cluelessness with computers, but that was the only way to keep the songs on the i-pod straight. Tiffany agreed to help him, creating a new playlist labeled with his name. She played him a few tunes from her lists to see what other music he liked or might like. Jack seemed rather unresponsive to modern day music, but she slid down to the Trans-Siberian Orchestra over. Everyone liked that holiday music.

"You'll like it, if you don't mind an little electric guitar with your Christmas carols," Tiffany said. "I can take off anything you don't want if you just let me know. Let's start with these for now."

She dragged a few different kinds of each genre that she had in her lists. Jack was grateful to her for giving him different options besides what Santa dictated to him. In fact, Jack wasn't even sure if North knew how to work the computer or if a Yeti discovered it all out for him...huh, something to think about there.

"Thanks, Tiffany," Jack told her.

"Hey Jack," Tiffany said, her back still to him as he was about to leave out her window. He looked back for a moment. She sighed before wheeling the chair around to face him, looking up at him with some worry written all over her face.

"Yeah?" he was waiting for her.

"D-do you think y-you could...maybe...give us another Snow day...tomorrow?" she asked, looking straight down after she'd said it, feeling ashamed to request such a thing from a Guardian.

Jack's head tilted as he climbed back inside.

"What do you need it for?" Jack asked.

"I promise I'll work really hard on it this time!" Tiffany exclaimed.

"Work on what?" Jack asked, kneeling down with his staff.

"I have trouble...with social studies. History stuff," Tif admitted. "I didn't finish my report yet. I have some stuff down and I think I've compiled it into an okay sounding essay. But, I'm slow, and my ideas take time to come out. I'm almost done, but the report needs a conclusion and I just got this new program and I really reaaallly wanna work with it so I can be good at it and then someday design stuff like this of my own. If I could have one more day, the conclusion for my paper would be done. I promise!"

Jack looked apprehensive at the girl. He never played favorites and just to give one girl an extra day, it seemed so...awful. Like it was a bad thing to do. He'd need more than just her to give a snow day.

"I'll think about that," Jack said. "I can't play favorites. If enough kids need it, I'll provide it, all right? No promises." Tiffany nodded in understanding.

"Thanks for trying. That's all that matters," Tiffany told him. "Bye, Jack."

"Bye bye Tiffany." Jack climbed out the window, shutting it behind him and flying off around the town to check on other kids. Tiffany sighed as she watched him leave, turning back to her program right after.

Jack's i-pod was a whole new world now. Not just the Christmas carols anymore. Still, he didn't find too much that he actually liked in music. No, he liked his art better. He'd been flying around all day, a few things going through his head, but nothing he couldn't seem to handle.

His main focus drifted between Tiffany and Anna, so it was logical to say he wasn't very focused at all. There weren't too many other kids in desperate need of a snow day. School is hard on every kid, and though there were so many variables that came into play, Jack knew it would be wrong to grant Tiffany's request.

So that night, more frost came upon Tiffany's window as she stared at her computer screen, staring completely confounded at the work before her. She stared at her textbook, at loss from flipping the pages over and over. It was like she knew the history itself and she knew what was going on, but the words couldn't make sense of it all. Her comprehension was strong on technology, but perhaps lacking old fashioned.

A loud sigh escaped her lips and Tiffany groaned at the book, placing one hand up to support her head. She was getting tired, and her eyes were drooping. Jack gazed upon the sight, never before seeing how rough of a time homework could consume a kid. A soft exhale displayed no steam for Jack Frost, but sound was still crystal clear.

He tapped on the window. Tiffany turned to see him, and she stood up, walking eagarly towards him and opening the window.

"I'm sorry, Tif," Jack said. "But I just can't do it tonight. How about I try to help you instead?"

"You...do homework? Since when do you even do homework?" Tiffany asked.

"It's history you said, right?" Jack asked. Tiffany nodded. "Well, I've been around for a _long_ time. Maybe I can help. How boring could it be?"

Tiffany's eyebrows rose.

"You don't want to know," she said with a heavy sigh. "But have a seat."

Everything Tiffany was writing about had to do with the Revolutionary War in the United States. Jack hoped up on the bed where she brought her laptop over along with the giant textbook which made a thud even on the soft bed.

_That doesn't look threatening_ Jack thought to himself with sarcasm. What had he gotten himself into?

"I know about the war, Paul Revere, George Washington, British taxes, but how do I wrap this up?" Tiffany groaned. Jack looked at her last sentence, which was conclusive to the last paragraph she wrote, about the Boston Tea Party.

"Okay, so you wrote about American beliefs, then tension, then the climax of the tension. So, why not make it like a story?" Jack asked. "Conclude the story. How did it all end?"

"With the Constitution," Tiffany answered. "But the prompt said to only talk about the developments of the war."

"That could be the Constitution too. If the war hadn't begun, there would be no Constitution. So, everything after that could be considered part of the development until the whole war was over. History is like a very large string. It just keeps going. It builds based on past events," Jack explained as he leaned back, balancing his staff on his two feet.

"At least, that's how I'd think of it."

Tiffany glanced at him, thinking about what he'd just told her. Her eyes widened as she thought of how to relate Jack's idea with another that crossed her mind.

"So, you're saying I could talk about the Constitution as a conclusion, but then not go past that?" Tiffany asked.

"Yep." Jack leaned back forward. "Because the war developed on tension, logical thinking, and action. The Constitution was a major action. The States still live by it!"

"We do?" Tiffany asked. Jack nodded. "Thank you Jack."

"Your welcome, Tif," Jack replied. "I gotta take off. Sorry about the snow day. But hey, if things go well, there might be some in the future."

"Bye Jack." She waved as he looked back before jumping out the window. The draft was cold, but even after shutting the window, the bed spot Jack had taken up was like frosted ice. He was cold all the time. That's how she knew he'd really been there with her.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven**

Across the boarder, Anna had been a busy girl with lots on her mind. Her part time job at the diner was proceeding nicely, and she couldn't wait until it could become full time in summer. Then she might have more money for herself rather than having to split the money all the time with her mother. The splitting was basically 95% to 5% of course the lesser went to her all because her father was gone and Mother couldn't keep a steady job. Anna decided, when she turned 18, which was in a few days, she would turn this all around. The money would be hers and she could do whatever she wanted with it.

It was basically hers, but now that she was working for her mother to spend it all besides what little Anna was putting away, she was getting pretty upset. It would all be over in a few days, though. Her little brother Johnny might be disappointed that there would be no more new things for him or as much candy around the house, but that was life. That's what her mother told Anna all the time. "That's life." Well, what about when she got a taste of her own medicine?

Adults don't always behave like adults, and they don't always know what is best. When it came to money, Anna found herself superior. If Mother kicked her out, so be it. She could afford her own place working at the diner full time and still save. That was what she really needed to do.

When her birthday arrived, Anna knew it for sure. It was her payday today too, thank goodness. Before that, Anna went to the bank to establish her own account in her own name and added her pay stubs, half to save and half to a checking account for herself. She was given all the information she needed to know and she stored all her private information in a very safe place. A place where no one could get at it.

She rushed to the diner, excited to work and everyone could see that. Her friends asked what was up and she said it was combination of things, but she wouldn't tell them what it mostly concerned, afraid of what they would say to her boldness. Now, Mother would have to be nice to _her_. Finally!

The paycheck was ever so sweet and she went straight to the bank and told them to do exactly as they had set up. She leaped into the air, feeling a sense of freedom and excitement. Sure, it wasn't much now, but it was hers.

That night, she laid on her bed, and no one disturbed her. Anna looked out the window, head resting on her arms as she gazed at the stars. She thought things were going to start changing, and she liked the change.

From a distance, she could've sworn there was something out there, something in the sky. Squinting her eyes in hopes to get a better look, Anna's eyebrows rose as the figure got closer and closer to her window.

Jack Frost!

He landed on the roof, snow falling from his hoodie and white hair. Instinctively, she opened the window, until she remembered it was pointless. Jack Frost was never cold.

"Hey," Anna greeted. "Come on in." Jack smiled and after shaking off, flew up to land on her bed.

"Oh! Before I forget!" Jack exclaimed. As if from nowhere, Jack pulled out a plate of cookies.

"Thank you," Anna said, a little surprised and unsure of how to react. She took them and set them on her dresser. The cookies smelt delicious.

"Compliments of Mrs. Claus," Jack explained. Anna pulled one out and took a bite, excited to hear they were from Santa's wife herself. They were as good and soft as she imagined they would be.

"They're delicious," she said, finishing a cookie. Jack smirked. It was time to get down to business. She turned on a light and closed the window; she even made sure the door to her room was locked.

"Jack..." Anna began, not sure of how to explain this. "About the ice skating..."

"I don't want you to get the wrong idea," Jack interrupted, extending a hand so it rested above her own. He looked her in the eyes.

"What's the big idea then?" Anna asked.

"All right, here goes," Jack sighed for a moment, looking down at their hands. "I've been thinking lately, and I get a little lonely sometimes. I have a lot of fun, but in the after hours, I get bored.

"Santa has Mrs. Claus, and they make a great team. I never dated anyone ever, but I know I am a Guardian. That's my first job, and it has to be. I never want you to stop believing...but, I've been searching for a long time. For someone about my age who still believes."

"That's dangerous," Anna told him. "Most people stop around my age."

"I know, I know, and that's good that you still believe. I never, ever want you to stop. So...if this makes you uncomfortable, I'd completely understand," Jack said, backing away.

"No," Anna took his hand to force him back. Jack was surprised at her reaction, frozen in his current state. Her elaboration was delayed by his reaction, for she was inexperienced as well when it came to this kind of things.

"No, it doesn't make me uncomfortable," Anna reassured him quickly, feeling as though she had to compensate for time. Jack looked back up at her face.

"I-it doesn't?" Jack asked. Anna shook her head.

"I've been thinking about it. Things are starting to change for me, and I've never been on a date either. The night on the ice was really fun, and we can only do it in winter," Anna said.

"You don't smell like peppermint and dark chocolate tonight," she observed. Jack put a hand behind his head.

"Oh yeah, that..." Jack ranted a little. "I didn't know what to do, and since I couldn't decide I just kinda..." Anna was laughing.

"It's fine," she said. "Dating a Guardian, what will the children think? Aren't you supposed to have fun all the time?"

"I think we have fun," Jack said. "So...you're all right...going out with me? Even though almost no one your age will be able to see me and meeting your parents will never be an option?"

Anna laughed and nodded.

"My mother wouldn't get it," she explained. "But, we can try. As long as I can touch you, I think we'll be fine." Jack smirked and shook his head.

"Just don't feel any pressure," Anna said, looking away rather sheepishly. "I don't want to force anything on you, or make you feel like you have to always be around me."

"No problem," Jack said. "Deadlines, not my thing, I can tell you right now. I'm a different kind of Guardian."

They sat in silence for awhile, though awkward wouldn't necessarily describe the situation entirely.

"So...what now?" Anna asked. Jack shrugged his shoulders.

"I dunno. Never dated before, remember?"

"Me either."

"I guess...we just have fun," Jack suggested.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight**

"You cannot be with this girl!" North declared one day, however Jack had waved him off as an ancient fool.

"You-Jack!" North exclaimed, stopping the boy in his tracks. "You cannot pursue this girl!"

"And why not?" Jack asked. "I can date whoever I want."

"No, no you cannot," North said. "I can't have lost believers because Jack Frost decided to be a little pimp."

"Santa, chill," Jack said, his hands out, one holding his staff. "This will work. I prom-"

"You cannot promise," North interrupted.

"Oh? And what about Mrs. Clause?" Jack asked. "How did you get your wife?"

"Zat, zat is a different matter entirely. Mrs. Clause and I, things were different back then. In modern day, you cannot jus' go around and do whatever you want now that people can see you," North explained.

"Well, you're too late old man," Jack replied. "We already agreed. We are going to try this dating thing, now please move." Jack froze a bit of Santa's foot and North stepped aside, distracted by his foot.

"You're making a mistake Jack!" North yelled after the boy.

"No I'm not! See ya Claus." Jack skated along across the snow, waiting for something or someone that could understand, or for something to go right around here.

Jack ended up atop the mountain cliffs all night long, wondering why North had been so upset. At least North had someone, Jack did not, and Tooth wasn't exactly the person he wanted to talk to about this matter. He was left with no other option, well, one of his last options...

"A girl, eh?" he was having too much fun with this.

"Yes, a girl, now would you please just help me?" Jack begged. "Santa isn't exactly helping. I thought since he had Mrs. Claus, he could tell me a thing or two about how it works, when a Guardian falls in love."

"Hmph, well if I didn't know any better, I'd shoo you back ta him, but since I do know something better, I'll let you in on a secret, but you have to keep it for the rest of time..."

Jack sighed.

"Bunnymund, spit it out already, you're making me nervous!" Jack exclaimed.

"Which one?"

"What do you mean which one, you made it sound like there was only one," Jack contradicted. The rabbit's nose twitched.

"Oops."

"Now you have to tell me both," Jack replied, taking a stance with his staff. The bunny sighed, propping himself up on a hill, placing his boomerang to the side and sighing.

"All right, sit down, I've got a few tales to tell ye mate...Okay, the first, is the rules about the whole, uuh, falling in love thing. When a Guardian falls in love, the love must be true. By that, I mean there can be no two souls meant for any other in any time or place. That in itself is impossible to find, but if you found that per se, then the rules state that the moon man must witness, the guy upstairs, he must see that you two are serious."

"How does he know?" Jack asked.

"I don't know, but anyway back to the story here! Once the man sees what he's looking for and what you're proposing to him, he'll take his time in deciding, for example's sake let's say a week. After that, supposedly something very strange happens to the person the Guardian has fallen in love with. With your requited love, supposedly you and her, will become immortal souls together, unable to have children. So...if it's painful for her, geh, I don't even wanna think about that part..."

"Painful? How could it be painful to her?" Jack asked. Bunnymund told Jack to stay focused for a second.

"You two couldn't have a normal family, it'd be just you two, forever, literally. So, before you go striking off to _show_ off her to the moon man, you better be certain she's the one."

"How could it be painful, the not having children thing?" Jack asked. "I don't want to hurt her..."

The rabbit sighed.

"Hasn't anyone ever explained to you what happens normally to the mortals? Huh? You've never experienced a time with a kid when their parents called them away in a rush and the female looks like she's about to keel over and die?" Bunnymund asked.

"You make it sound like a regular occurrence..." Jack said.

"It is!" the rabbit exclaimed. "Children are born every day, and there are...certain things that a girl has to help carry that child along for so many months."

"Okay, so babies come from women, I knew that," Jack replied.

"Good, that'll make this less awkward," Bunnymund continued. "Now, normally to be unable to have children, the female or the male has something irregular about them. As in, physically irregular. Something inside isn't right. Now, it is said that the most painful experience in the world is childbirth..."

"That's good," Jack said. "If she can't have any, then that experience can't harm her, right?"

"...depends," Bunnymund says. "What I'm saying is, imagine how it might be for her, if she's a normal girl, to have certain parts of her...altered shall we say, so that she cannot experience the most painful thing? Would those alterations hurt? I don't know. That's what I'm ponderin'. Could it hurt more than actual childbirth?"

"You think it could?" Jack asked, his eyes growing wide. The rabbit shrugged.

"I don't know mate. Jus' somethin' to think about." That would stay in his mind for a long while, he knew that much.

"So...when you say 'depends'...are you referring to us, ya know..."

"Multiplying like rabbits, yeah," Bunnymund replied quickly. "If neither of you do that before she becomes immortal, then you're both in the same place, and this discussion is over."

"So, I'd be hurting her either way is what you're saying?" Jack said, a heavy breath upon his lips as he stared at the staff before him.

"Either way, it's all temporary," Bunnymund said. "Any other questions?"

"Yeah. What's the other story?" Jack demanded, making the rabbit adjust his position.

"This is the story of North...the one you have to keep secret for, like, the rest of time. If he knows you know, he'll _freak out_. As in, really freak out. No one is supposed to know. Before North became a Guardian, he was an average Joe in the midst of a relationship with your average Karin-"

"That's not a very common name for a girl-"

"Anyhow! He was in love, and one day, he was heading home and he was robbed by the village pillagers. He didn't falter, just gave them everything and let the whole situation go. He never reported them to the law or nothin'. On his way to propose to the girl, the same pillagers took the ring he bought, but North didn't go without a fight. Needless to say, the pillagers won.

"But Moon Man made Santa...Santa, so when he woke up again, memory intact, he met the girl with nothing except a plain gold ring from his own belongings. She refused his proposal, and for a while, he was alone being a Guardian. Then, one night as he was stacking presents, a woman had come down the stairs and caught him. The sleepy dust didn't work on her, and so after a while, they fell in love after all that fun dating crap. He told her about the Guardian position. She just up and believed him and came to the pole. I think the sleepy dust not working was a sign that he couldn't get her out of the way that easily, hahaha!

"When she came up with him, the Moon Man and Santa argued for days over Mrs. Claus. I guess that man up there decided to let Santa have his way. He vowed to give up his Guardianship if the moon man wouldn't let Mrs. Claus stay with him. I think Santa won that one, but when Mrs. Claus changed to immortality, she grieved because Santa hadn't told her about not being able to have children. That's what she wanted, a family. It was rumored around the village already that at Easter, she was pregnant. But, in that coming winter, there was no child to be see...Perhaps the price for her was a miscarriage and no children."

"Santa...wow," Jack said. "So, they were going to move forward. I should ask Mrs. Claus then, about if it was painful or not."

"North can't know, mate!" Bunnymund exclaimed. "Mrs. Claus, isn't she bound to tell him eventually?"

Jack shrugged, but he really wanted to know the circumstances before he and Anna took things any further.

"What about you? No special female rabbit?" Jack asked.

"If I did, you'd know," the rabbit replied, laughing and hopping to his feet. "Just haven't been lucky yet."

Jack let the Easter Bunny get back to work while he thought some more about what to do. He really did like Anna, but the whole process seemed like a mess. Perhaps that was intentional of the Moon Man. After all, Jack was trapped in a 17 year old body, but technically, he'd be 317, so he was much older than he looked. Time froze for him, so time would freeze for her too. He didn't remember any pain when he changed to a Guardian, but females might be different, and the only female around that wasn't Mrs. Claus was the one he didn't want to talk to about this matter.

As he drifted slowly towards civilization, rather Canada to be exact, he kept thinking about Bunnymund's stories and the uncertainties only to be answered by Mrs. Claus. She was the only non-Guardian mortal to change. That seemed his only way to find out more about this mess.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine**

Mrs. Claus's story disturbed him more and more. What if the moon man deliberately killed the child in Mrs. Claus because it would have been immortal? Now _that_ sounded painful. Jack wondered if it was all true. His curiosity was getting the better of him, but it would have to wait until tomorrow night. Being a Guardian, he pushed all those thoughts out of his head to focus on having fun with the children, however he found himself drifting away to Europe slowly but surely.

Jack needed to think more about this matter, but he'd left things with Anna like a new start. Seeing her couldn't be so bad tonight, he thought to himself. We don't even know if it's serious. Thusly, he'd convinced himself in a proper internal argument and went to see her, skidding along the frozen paths of the ocean into the rivers and lakes across Canada's landscape.

When he reached Anna's house however, she wasn't there at all. Her mother was shouting about the child being impossible and her brother waved to him as he passed through. There was a look of desperation in his eyes, like this was not just a wave but an SOS signal. Then he stopped, flinging himself up to William's room and tapping on the window. The boy excitedly let him in, a worried look in his eyes.

"Where can I find your sister?" Jack asked, concern written all over his face.

"I don't know," William replied honestly, tears on the brink of his eyes. "Mom and Anna got into a nasty fight about Anna's growing up. Apparently, cooking is a big deal around here, but most everything's frozen to me anyways. Anna stormed out, and now the snow's come down. I'm worried about her! It was warmer than usual yesterday."

"And how are you doing?" Jack asked, knowing to be polite.

"I'm okay. Mom never yells at me, so that's a good day in my books."

Jack patted the boy's head, just as he was about to leave.

"Jack wait!" William said before running off himself. The Guardian waited a mere 30 seconds as the boy returned with a blanket and handed it to him.

"She'll be cold for sure," William said.

"Has this happened before?" Jack asked, taking the blanket. The boy nodded vigorously.

"Lots lately. Mom yells about Anna doing this, that, and what'sanot wrong and then Anna jus' yells back and when she comes back, she's cold all the time. Please find my sister, Jack," William pleaded.

The Guardian promised he wouldn't return without her. Jack jumped out the window, leaving the boy to close it behind him. He stared down at the blanket, wondering why the family argued so much. William sounded deeply hurt and what's Anna thinking? Storming off into a literal storm didn't sound logical to him in any way.

"Anna!" Jack called in the midst the blistering cold. He skated along with his staff into the trees.

Anna had been in worse condition than the storm in a matter of seconds. All she had done was run away from the yelling and the screaming and the fighting, feeling somewhere deep inside that rage that could fuel any amount of warmth. That is, until she hit the old ice rink. The pine needles through her palms led to blood, but nothing she could feel. Her fingers were still functioning, and that's all that mattered to her. Splinters from wood were easily removed and Anna pressed on, her hot tears transforming instantly by the nipping weather.

Who cares if the chicken was slightly overcooked? It's better than undercooked right? That's what she thought, but since Mother didn't like it, no one was going to eat it. Thus, wasted food, and Anna found that ridiculous. To waste food in the winter is begging them all to spend the rest of the season ice fishing. Both the children hated ice fishing, and mother couldn't say she liked herself, but she was the one causing it to happen. Soon enough, that would be their only option.

"I'd rather _starve_," Anna grumbled to herself, shoving another branch out of the way, for once feeling the needles and branch against her palm. Her hand was battered up pretty bad, now that she finally looked at it.

She picked at her wounds as she stumbled onto the rink, not even sure it was an ice rink at first, for it was snow covered up to her shins. A shift came to her foot, but she couldn't feel a thing. Anna felt herself getting shorter as she trudged along, only to find herself beginning to slouch over.

The girl's form collapsed into the snow, but her weight was a little too much. She heard a crackling sound and the shift of the ice beneath her form. As she went to raise herself, her arms shook from either cold or physical exhaustion, and her body was dumped into the depth below.

Anna woke up as the cold hit her face that hard, and her legs kicked themselves until she found air from the same place she had fallen in from. Her hands gripped the snow as she held herself against the ice. But, as she tried to pull herself, the ice kept cracking underneath her hands.

She had no other option, so she managed to fling herself up over the freezing waters and back onto the ice. Each finger sat in place, now frozen from the storm and the ice bath which had now soaked her hair and clothing. Steam rose from her body, taking the last of her warmth, or what little she had. Just ten feet away, she limped like a broken dog to a small patch between two close pine trees. Though she had to brush away the needles, there was a spot the storm hadn't touched.

That spot was the place she always hid during hide and so seek, and Anna always won. It was a patch of dead grass, but it was better than snow. The branches thrashed back to their position and she heaved herself onto the grass, where she could feel warmth from the earth coming close to her side already.

That was cold. Involuntarily, she violently shook and curled herself into a ball, already missing William and the fireplace. Her arms became a pillow and her head just dropped. Eyes narrowing ever so slightly, Anna knew it was best to give in, because fighting, as she only knew, seemed to only cause more pain.

* * *

"Anna!" Jack called again, but each time, there was no reply. Hopeless. For Jack, this was like a rainstorm and his body never got cold. The search could keep going, but nothing was coming of it.

Night had already overtaken the skies, and there came little rivers of golden sand from the sky. Sandy. Jack flew up into the clouds to find the Sandman hard at work. The little man waved to Jack, but the Guardian was looking at the paths of sand in hopes for some sort of clue. Everyone dreams, especially kids. Upon his head, a question mark formed as he wondered what Jack was doing.

"I'm looking for a girl. Her name is Anna, and she lives around here. She ran away, did she fall asleep?" Jack asked in a hurry. But all Sandy did was shrug. There were many Annas that he knew of, so he lit up all their paths for Jack from his large cloud. Jack followed each path lit, but none of them were his Anna. He shook his head hopelessly.

Sandy's head cocked to the side in confusion, but he sent out the line anyway. Jack looked at Sandy, asking if it was Anna, but Sandy didn't know how to respond. His wrist tilted his hand from side to side.

"Kind of? How can she _kind of_ be Anna?" Jack asked. Sandy thought for a moment. He extended his arms wide then short. Jack didn't quite understand. Sandy then drew up Anna's name in his mind, then added the name Maria on the end of it. Then, the name Maria dropped out and the name was just Anna.

"Oh! So you're saying Anna is like, like a nickname?" Jack asked, eyes wide. Sandy nodded, then lit up the line that seemed unusual to him and pointed Jack to that direction.

"Thanks Sandman! You're the best," Jack called as he raced along the path, thinking this had to be her.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter Ten**

The golden thread led to the old ice rink, but then the line died out. The person was no longer dreaming, so Sandy's line had faded away.

"Anna! Wake up, Anna. Anna?" Jack was calling constantly now. It was then he found the hole in the ice. He ran straight for it to thankfully see she wasn't in there. There was a trail, as though she crawled along on four limbs, leading into the pine trees. Jack pushed the branches back with his staff to see her slumbering there, but she wasn't dreaming.

He knelt beside her, feeling her frozen form. There was even a small layer of ice starting to crawl up her skin. The water must've done that to her, and she was a mortal. For them, ice was treacherous, and this didn't look normal. Jack could think of no other way...

He was a Guardian, and at all costs, he had to keep the believers safe. Her age especially was a rare group of believers, making the situation more urgent in _his_ mind. With Anna wrapped in the blanket along his back from William, Jack flew with her up to the skies. As he passed Sandy, the dream-filled cloud followed them. When Jack looked back, Sandy held an exclamation point above his head.

But Jack couldn't let Sandy stop him. Even one of Tooth's fairies passed him in question, but Jack pressed on. When he came by her house, he wrote a note in frost on William's window saying his sister was safe.

* * *

Jack thrusted the door open to North's house, snow-covered and all except caring about what he looked like. Mrs. Claus had been awake working on a scarf and North was still out in the factory it seemed. Late shift he supposed.

"Jack Frost!" Mrs. Claus exclaimed. "Where have you been, and why is there such a horrible storm?"

"_That_ was not my work," Jack explained, nodding his out outside. "Nature has its way too, ya know? But, I found this girl. Her name is Anna and you have to do something-"

"Is this the girl you were mentioning earlier?" Mrs. Claus asked. Jack nodded.

"What happened to her?" Mrs. Claus took the girl and placed her by the fire and took the blanket off, letting her lie on the thatched rug. Jack grew silent then for a moment.

"I didn't do anything," he finally said. "According to her brother, there was a fight between her and her mother, and she ran out of the house."

He knelt beside her, lifting up her head.

"But it looked...it looked so much worse Mrs. Claus, really. There was a shift in the ice from the warmer weather over the past few days, and she must've fallen through, but...she pulled herself out and Sandy pointed her out to me through her dreams. But now, she isn't dreaming at all. She's just...there."

Jack dropped his staff carelessly and watched as the fire melted the ice from her skin, causing water droplets to come pouring off her skin. The rug could absorb such and seemed appropriate for the situation.

"Don't give her another blanket, she'll just get it wet. I'll get a towel and put on some hot chocolate on case she wakes up. I think I'll have a cup myself," Mrs. Claus pondered as she made her way to the bathroom.

He watched Anna shivering again and the water coming down her face. Jack knew his own body couldn't help her, for he remained forever physically cold. Anna was warming up though, that was obvious enough to him.

"You know," Mrs. Claus said as she handed Jack the towel. "I'm amazed you can withstand the heat of the fire but you get sick when heat is ingested."

Jack smirked as he saw her taking the chocolate out of the fridge.

"Frozen hot chocolate then?" she asked, and he nodded, turning back to Anna as he wiped her face down with the towel gently. He then took off her coat to find the rest of her skin seemed just as frozen. Mrs. Claus placed the jacket near the fire too to let it dry off. She went to get an emerald green Christmas dress.

Jack looked closely.

"No offense, but there is no way that fits you," Jack said.

"It did, once," Mrs. Claus smirked. "I was about her size at one point in my life. It should fit her." She laid the dress out on the couch.

"Mrs. Claus, I've been meaning to ask you something," Jack confessed as she walked into the kitchen. He propped himself up on the table.

Mrs. Claus served him the frozen glass and sat down, awaiting his question.

"You're not a Guardian," Jack began. "So...how are you immortal?"

"I'm with North," Mrs. Claus sighed. "I just wanted to be with him..."

"Okay. Um, how do I put this? What are the rules considering immortality with the Guardians? Those in your situation?" Jack asked.

"Well, first of all, one must have true love with another. North and I were true, and when we were married, the moon man granted me immortality so I could be with my husband," Mrs. Claus explained.

Jack looked back at Anna, but he needed to know more.

"Okay, here's the thing, you can't tell North," Jack said.

"Bunnymund told you," Mrs. Claus stated simply with a smile of sorrow. Jack nodded.

"Is it true...about the child?" Jack asked. Eyes closed, Mrs. Claus nodded, her heart filled with a heavy weight that seemed to drag her entire spirit down.

"I lost her," Mrs. Claus said. "The Moon Man told me a child could not come to be."

"I don't mean to bring back memories so awful. It's just...I really like this girl," Jack explained. "If what we have is true, she could become immortal too. What I wanted to know really was..." He faltered slightly. "Did it hurt? When the moon man took the child? When you became immortal?"

"Becoming immortal, no that didn't hurt. The Man on the Moon just froze time for me, like you and I'm sure like the rest of us," Mrs. Claus said.

"But the child?"

"Yes, that part...there was a lot of pain involved then. He removed the child and...he made me watch as he tore it apart to show me that children cannot be immortal unless by his control. I was beneath him and therefore, I could not deceive him nor have a child if I wanted to be with North."

Jack gasped, then he looked back at Anna again.

"That's horrible," he said. "And North, never told you the price?"

"No, he did not. I don't even think he fully understood the price himself. Then again, I wanted to wait until I was secure before telling him I was pregnant. When I finally told him about what the moon man did, he became so upset he hung up his coat for months. But, in time, he accepted what was done. Part of it was my fault too. I didn't tell him," Mrs. Claus told him.

"Still," Jack sighed. "That's cruel to me. I'd never want that to happen to Anna...never."

"I can see you genuinely like her, Jack," Mrs. Claus said, standing. "Let's see how she's doing." Jack jumped off the table and went first to see her body was still sweating off water.

"That's, that's crazy," Jack said, wiping her again with the towel. "How can she still be sweating?"

"It's the ice. Help me carry her into the bathroom so I can change her. I want you to wait outside for me to finish," Mrs. Claus said sternly and in all sincerity. Jack nodded as he did what was asked of him. North's wife brought the dress and hung it on a hook outside the bathroom door.

Jack announced he was going to check on Santa and the elves, took his frozen chocolate and went out to the factory.

* * *

"Santa, why so late?" Jack asked, seeing him sitting in his office as usual as an elf just made his way past along with a yeti.

"Too much to do. Huge setback in production," North replied. "What's going on with you?"

"Not much," Jack replied, trying to be casual. "Just thinking things over, ya know?"

"Ah, Anna, right? Yes her, I hope you have seen my light of this," North said.

"I've seen a light, I'm not sure if it's yours or just the ice sculptures," Jack confessed facetiously. North chuckled, and found Jack simply wandering around the factory with the yetis and elves. When North went back to work for another hour, he noticed Jack still there, with the same yeti, in the same place practically!

"You waiting for something?" North asked. Jack's head jolted upright to face him.

"I was just going," Jack said. "Sorry to bother you and the yetis. I'll check on Mrs. Claus." He took his now empty cup with him back inside the house where he found Mrs. Claus with Anna on the couch.

She'd wrapped the girl in the emerald green dress from before and tied her hair back so it sprawled to the matching green cloak on her back.

"She looks like she'll be all right," Mrs. Claus said with pride. "No more sweating water and she feels warm again." Jack took her jacket and hung it up in front of the fire to dry more fully along with her sweatshirt and undershirt she'd been wearing.

"I took most of her laundry and it's been dried in front of the fire already," Mrs. Claus explained. "Thank you Jack."

"Not a problem...I should be thanking you. I didn't know how you would react to me bringing mortals in."

"Well, I was once one myself," she said with a smile, more confident than before. "She's strong, this Annamaria."

"Annamaria?" Jack asked.

"That's her full name isn't it?" Mrs. Claus asked.

"I just call her Anna."

Mrs. Claus looked at the girl, deciding she was going to retire for the night, for it'd be best if Jack were there when she woke up anyway. She showed Jack where the girl's pants, headband, and half gloves were so he could hang them up. After thanking her once more, Jack found the stove where the hot chocolate had been prepared and he set it out on the table.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter Eleven**

He watched her dark hair rise and fall with the motion of her chest. Her warmth was quite apparent now, he could feel it. The fire had really helped her he could tell. Radiating the scent of peppermint twists, Jack realized Mrs. Claus had bathed her all by herself! The ice was clean off, all of it, and with her clothes properly drying before the fire, Jack knew she would have to wake up soon.

Still, he watched over her, fearing that North was going to come in any second and yell at him for taking in the mortal girl. Now that Mrs. Claus was asleep, she couldn't defend him for his intentions. No, Jack would have to stand up for himself this one, that is, if North ever came in. Midnight was approaching, and as though it were fate, on the hour was when Anna woke from her slumber.

"What-where-where am I?" her voice was faint, but Jack heard her.

"Anna!" he whispered for no reason at all. "You're all right, thank goodness!"

"Jack?" Anna asked, confused as he took her into his embrace. "You're warm..."

Jack looked down at himself. Really? He didn't feel any warmer, and he certainly didn't feel much different.

When Anna came to full consciousness, Jack explained what he thought happened to her and how he found her. Mrs. Claus was not without a greater thanks in his explanation as he went on and on about his concern.

"I'm...at the North Pole?" her eyes widened. "And Santa doesn't know?" Jack nodded, a smile forming as he saw one form on her face as well. Then, she just...laughed. Something Jack never would have thought her to do.

"It's true, the ice did fall through and yes, I pulled myself out," Anna confirmed.

"What was so bad that made you run out of the house?" Jack asked. Anna looked into the fire and explained her situation at home. Things weren't exactly perfect and sometimes, she worried for William, but he was never in their crossfire; their being in reference to Anna and her mother.

"Ever since Papa died, things were different. She went all harsh and preachy on me," Anna said. "Sometimes, I just can't take it. No one told me about the storm. I felt like death out there."

"You looked cold enough to be dead," Jack confirmed, enhancing his own worry. "Sandman said you stopped dreaming. That's how I found you, the sand. When I saw the ice, I was worried you'd drowned from paralyzation. That's what happened to me."

"You died in the water?" Anna exclaimed. "When?"

"I...a very long time ago," Jack explained. "I became a Guardian after the incident. My hair turned white and I got my staff back, this time with the ice power. I saved my sister though, and that's what was important. We were ice skating...and I swapped places with her so she'd be safe. I couldn't move at all, so...I felt myself sinking, then I rose again."

"Whoa," Anna said. "And I thought my life was rough."

"It's okay now, I'm a Guardian and I love it," Jack replied. "You should probably get back to William. If Santa finds you here, things won't be pretty."

"Jack, I'm awfully tired, can't I just spend the night? Or, what's left of it, here?" she asked. Jack sighed, agreeing and he led her into his room, telling her to take the full sized bed while he took the couch, just in case North came in.

"...why don't we both just sleep in your room? Santa won't check there anyway," Anna replied. Jack gathered her dried clothing as they headed for his room. They didn't have much time otherwise. North was leaving the factory and walking straight up the stone paved path to the house.

Jack flew back out while Anna settled into Jack's room and he grabbed the hot cocoa cups, placing them back in the cupboard, but leaving the cocoa on the stove to stay warm. He then turned out the hall lights, leaving the fire, and closed the door to his room, breathing a sigh of relief as he heard North stomping his way inside.

"That's Santa," Jack whispered. "Keep quiet for now. You'll know when he's asleep, if you can stay awake that long." Anna nodded. Jack's staff leaned against his side of the bed while she adjusted herself to face away from him. She slept on her right side usually anyway.

Suddenly, she felt the covers come over her and an arm slip inside to cover her waist and pull her closer. Then, a cold breeze whispering.

"If he looks in, we'll look like one person unless he turns the light on. He doesn't usually though," Jack whispered. She nodded so he understood she got his message clearly and so she adjusted accordingly to fit his curved position. There wasn't much adjusting though, like she fit right there.

"Good night, Anna," he said, just in case she couldn't stay awake. Even he began to nod off, keeping a protective arm around her.

They both fell asleep before having another word at each other.

* * *

"Jack?" her soft voice echoed in his ear. Her delicate hand shook him awake, allowing his eyes to slip open to see her still in that green dress Mrs. Claus had let her wear.

"Anna?" Jack asked. "What's the matter?" She was sitting up, and the sun was just starting to dawn this morning at the North Pole.

"I think I heard Santa go out to the shop. What's that smell?" Anna asked. Jack sniffed the air to instantly recognize Mrs. Claus's famous breakfast. That meant banana slushies, omelets, bacon, and french toast.

"That's Mrs. Claus's best breakfast galore. I'm getting up," Jack answered, forcing himself up. Anna smiled.

"I can't believe I just spent a night here," Anna said. "At the North Pole!" Jack smiled, grabbing his staff while she collected her clothes from the top of the dresser in his room. When Jack walked out into the kitchen, there was Mrs. Claus, pouring the slush.

"Oh my gosh! Mrs. Claus, sometimes you're just full of surprises," Jack said. The old woman smiled to see him, wishing him a good morning and asking about Anna straight away. Jack thought she was back to her old self again, and she seemed functional on a regular level.

When the girl came out, her hair had been neatly brushed and she sat down timidly at the table, thanking Mrs. Claus for the wonderful breakfast.

"I don't do this often, but I do hope you'll be returning soon," Mrs. Claus told Anna. "North just went off to the factory. Probably better that way."

The two of them nodded as they helped themselves to breakfast. Small talk ensued, though no one minded. Mrs. Claus began to ask more questions about Anna, though she seemed more than happy to answer. Jack added a few desirable traits as she went along with a few of her stories, and Mrs. Claus was happy to have such company. Visitors were rare, even the Guardians only came up on certain occasions, so it was usually her and newly moved in Jack Frost around the house.

Anna offered to help with the dishes while Jack went to take a cold shower.

"Jack really likes you," Mrs. Claus said as she rinsed a dish off and let it air dry on the dish rack. Anna looked at her.

"How do you know?" Anna asked, taking another plate.

"I just, know," the old woman said. "Jack seems to have found someone special I think."

"Thank you," Anna said. "I just hope things don't shatter into a million pieces. Past relationships haven't been the greatest."

"This one will be different, you'll see. Jack may be all about fun, but when he really cares, it shows deeply. He found you in the midst of a horrible blizzard did he not? He knows North does not approve of guests, yet he brought you here. This is the only place you could have properly healed...had he taken you home, the fire wouldn't have been nearly enough," Mrs. Claus told her.

Anna remained silent, ready to hear what else she had to say. Mrs. Claus told how the girl had been sweating off water from how frozen she was when she'd reached the pole, and that Jack Frost stayed with her the entire time. Though he was a Guardian, Jack Frost had never showed such compassion towards one person before, at least as long as Mrs. Claus had known him.

"I've taken to his habits, and I can tell he really cares about you," the old woman said. "You look so festive in that dress, my dear. It suits you."

"Oh, thank you for letting me borrow it. Did you wear this?" Anna asked. Mrs. Claus nodded.

"When I was younger, yes. It was a nice dress, but I don't fit in it anymore. When I came to the North Pole with Santa, I took my wardrobe with me while adding to it every year. Once a year, Bunnymund will get me something that needs replacing, say, a house robe or a pair of slippers. Sometimes, Sandy will dress up and fetch me some materials for anything else. Tooth, when she can, sends a fairy to find a lovely outfit. I get by, but it's hard sometimes, not being able to leave the pole."

"Hmm," Anna pondered. "Is there anything you need?"

"Well, mainly I need cloth and threads. Magic usually gets me what I need, that's how food was served this morning. People believe in Santa, and as long as they believe in him, life is good," Mrs. Claus explained.

Anna eagerly offered to help her retrieve some of her materials, so Mrs. Claus made up a quick list of the types of threads she needed, digging out some money from a random drawer.

"Does it give you anything you want?" Anna asked. Lots of things she noticed had come from that drawer so far this morning. Mrs. Claus nodded, handing her what she needed, of course not without thanking her.

"I'll make sure Jack swings by to get you at the end of the week."

Anna nodded, going to change into her own clothing after dishes were done.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter Twelve**

Jack took Anna back to her own village, where Spring was nearly upon them. Everything was moving much faster when Anna had something to look forward to, and things became more real to her. This could be the last time people might see her if she had anything to do with fate. All of a sudden the thought seemed surreal, like it could never happen. There was nothing more she wanted than to be with Jack and Mrs. Claus, but there was something strange about the situation. Perhaps it was too good or perhaps it was Jack himself. He brought her back with the threads and cloth Mrs. Claus requested.

While Anna cleaned herself up for dinner, Jack met with Mrs. Claus once more.

"When do I bring her to the Man on the Moon?" Jack asked. "When did Santa bring you?"

"He brought me after proposing..." Mrs. Clause said. "Don't you think you're rushing things a little, Jack?" Jack shook his head.

"I'm not going to propose," he told her. "I want the Man on the Moon to accept her, and I want him to take her in as his own, like he did me. I want her to have a purpose. That's the worst thing, not knowing your purpose in the world, especially when it takes you 300 years to figure it out."

Mrs. Clause nodded. "You know, she did a lot of work with toys as a girl."

"How do you know?" Jack asked.

"North knows his lists, and though he may check them twice, I too know the children. I check that list three times at least," Mrs. Clause smiled. Jack's eyebrows widened.

"Huh, challenge accepted for Santa?" Jack said, cocking his head to the side and twirling his staff. Mrs. Clause laughed.

"No, I just love children. She's done a lot of hours at an old toy maker's store. The man is long retired, his son took over a few years ago. A good boy, that is. Anyway, you should bring her to the Man on the Moon, see what he says. She stuck out to me, maybe he knows about her too," Mrs. Clause explained.

Jack nodded, taking in the idea. "Yeah, I'll do that. Yeah, she'll love it-"

"What will I love?" Anna was standing right in the hallway. Jack jumped, looking into her eyes as he turned around and came close to her.

"What I have planned tonight. Ready?" Jack asked.

"Well, you haven't told me what it is yet, but I'm sure I'll-" Anna was literally picked up off her feet and sent into a swirl of frost and ice as Jack sent her off in front of him as he kept control of the staff.

"You're gonna love this!" Jack exclaimed. Anna spun herself onto her feet while Jack swopped in front of her. He reminded her of Peter Pan sometimes, the way he could just fly up into the air, as though he were the wind itself sprawling out and dominant of the air and everything in its path. She slid along, grabbing the staff, then Jack's hoodie, then latched herself onto his back, where he took off, high above the ground.

Now this was flying.

He landed on a high ledge overlooking the Arctic ice sheets of glass, glistening with the light of the silver moon. Anna stared at the bright moon and the stars. Jack slid down the cliff and walked to the center where he stabbed his staff into the center of the circle. A formation appeared beneath the ice, drawn by white light and forming a snowflake center with Jack Frost standing tall. This was how he summoned the Man on the Moon, but Anna didn't know that.

"Jack!" she called, not liking the height of the ledge anymore now that she was fully conscious of it. "What's going on?"

"I'm introducing you to the moon," Jack said. Anna was lost already, but she looked up nonetheless. Jack yelled at the sky like a madman, and Anna felt at loss for words. So, she sat and waited for something, anything, to happen.

"Show yourself you coward!" Jack screamed. "Meet someone else! She's very important to me."

The ice shifted beneath her, but before she could scream, the ice blocks broke and she was sent tumbling down near the edge of the snowflake circle. Jack looked to see if Anna was okay, but he yelled at the sky some more.

"Jack! What are you doing?" Anna cried, confused.

Jack's eyes narrowed, wanting the Moon Man's attention even more than ever. He shot an icicle at the sky, and more followed until a light appeared in a ray down unto the snowflake before Jack Frost.

"Come here," he told her, and she stood up hurriedly, coming to his side, now completely frightened. "Don't be scared. He won't hurt you."

A slender man emerged from the misty lights, dressed in all white clothing, like an angel of Ancient Rome she thought. His hair was spun out to the floor like pure woven silk. His face was narrow, his nose elegantly pointed and his eyes were a bright, neon blue that glimmered as an exact replica of the moon itself. The man had a beard, combed and thin, white as snow and his skin was a pale as a ghost.

He extended his arms as a religious leader would in a service, and Jack bent at the waist, staff high in its place at his side still. Anna didn't know what to do, so she just stared at the scene before her. A pair of glasses appeared on the man's face and a list came to his hands, and he released it onto the ground where it lay, a long strip, piling onto the snow, and in his bony right hand appeared a quill.

"Frost," he spoke, his voice a wisdom echo through the winds of the ages. "What brings you here, wanting my attention so eagerly?"

Jack straightened himself.

"All on high, and as a Guardian, I have come to request that you consider this young lady," Jack said.

"Consider her for what?" he asked neutrally.

"Consider that she become what I am. Not a Guardian, I mean, but immortal," Jack requested.

"As a selfish but wise captain once said, 'I am disincline to acquiesce to your request,'" he replied.

"I have not finished," Jack continued. "You can tell as well as I can that there is something special at work here." The man was silent for a few moments. A few moments longer than Jack wanted him to be.

"You made me who I am only on my deathbed, but I ask that you take into consideration her as you did North's wife-"

"North's wife suffered consequences for what she was hiding. This girl could be the same!" The man roared into the winds, creating a spine-chilling sensation inside of Anna.

"It is not the same," Jack said. "I beg of you, please consider. I just wanted you to meet her first." Anna stepped forward to see this mystical man, feeling this was an honor to be here, despite how elusive things seemed to be moving along in her mind.

"What happens if I touch you?" Anna asked, extending a weary hand. The man looked straight through her heart and down to the depths of her soul, which petrified her but she could not back down. Jack wanted her to experience this, meet this man, and she was not going to spend the time hiding behind him as a child does her mother.

"I'll know everything about you, and you will die," the man said, turning to Jack.

"That's a lie," Anna said, making the man turn and Jack gasped.

"Anna, you don't say that to him..."

"But, that last part is a lie," Anna said. "I won't die..." She was staring deep into his blue eyes that seemed to be dimming in her own. The blue matched the dark sky and still mystified her, but in his eyes, she saw herself. A different part of herself, someone who looked completely different from her, but she knew it was her. He held a reflection in his eyes, but Anna didn't know what that meant or if that girl was truly her.

The man blinked harshly, stepping one step back.

"What did you see?" Jack asked, looking at the two of them. The man stared, his lips cornering a smirk.

"Myself..." she sighed breathlessly. "Is that-Is that how you change people? When they touch you or you touch them? You'd have to touch them, yes, you would have to..." her hand extended right through him.

"Because if I do, you do not accept me, you are an apparition to me..." Anna stared into his eyes some more, seeing so many different images, puzzles and pieces that she didn't understand. Some of them she could make out, some of Jack, and a piece of Mrs. Clause she recognized but didn't place anywhere. She thought she was being given a glimpse of the universal balance, through the irises of this man's eyes. He may know all, but here she was trying to figure that out.

"Will I become the girl I see?" Anna asked, this time more controlled.

"What you are seeing, my child, is the world," the man said. "You can see it, can't you?" he blinked again, but her stare remained. "It does not matter how many times I blink, you can still see it, the world's pieces, the futures of those around you everyday, and you can see yourself as I have seen you..."

The man reached out and touched her hand, closing his eyes. "Ahhh...yes...Annamaria. The toymaker's joy and a personality flaming bright. That is why I have granted you the orange-tinted auburn hair you see in my thoughts..."

"So, you know of her already?" Jack asked. The Man turned to Jack.

"I have known of her. Strange you have chosen her and brought her here...mind that I have many children I keep in such records. Those who touch someone's life in just the right way and stand out among the rest. These were my future Guardian considerations, just in case any of you failed me..." Jack bowed before him and remained silent, for he knew the Man was thinking.

"It is still winter, Jack," the man turned to him. "Are you sure this is what you want?" Jack nodded, but Anna looked confused. The Man turned to her.

"You love Jack," the Man had said what she had felt before she had ever gotten the chance to say it to Jack himself, but though this made her stomach drop, Anna nodded in agreement with his statement. "You must make the choice now: do you want to become immortal? Do you want to remain at Jack's side for eternity?"

Anna was speechless, and Jack was stunned to the boiling point of anger.

"I said consider it, I never said-" but the Man was not listening to him right now, and he could tell his actions were futile. This was not what Jack planned at all. Anna knew she had to make the choice and she had to make it now. There couldn't be a tear of doubt when she gave her answer either. This Man of the Moon had authority and his decision was a once in a lifetime thing. There were no take backs to this. This was happening now, as Jack may have approached the situation too desperately, sending the completely wrong message to the Moon Man.

Jack felt screwed over and despondent, full of despair. How had he done this to Anna? Making her decide so soon on such a trivial matter that required thought and careful consideration? Jack felt broken, thinking surely she would say no. This was insane! He knelt into the snow, awaiting the fate of himself and Anna. Tears welled in his eyes: he had done exactly what he didn't want to do, and that was to make her feel pressured into this.

"Yes, I would," her voice was nearly a whisper, but it was confident, as though she were completely blown away. The Man of the Moon's hand turned into a pale figure of skin and bone, reaching out to her. The two hands met and a light overcame the sky, bursting into the Northern Lights and cosmic rays of many colors.

Annamaria rose with the Man of the Moon, and he scanned her every detail. She was not pregnant and he disabled her so she could not become pregnant. Anna was out cold from the atmosphere and the lack of air at their altitude already. The Man of the Moon worked his way from inside her soul, conforming her body to cease aging and smoothing every flaw about her: chapped lips from the cold, the cuts and scrapes, and the yellowish teeth that were forming. He transformed her into _his_ creation.

Anna's eyes opened, and she found breath once again, but at such an altitude, it did not seem possible...because it wasn't.

"Awake...Holly," The Man of the Moon said. Anna looked at him, a little confused.

"It is winter still, and after the seasonal decor, your name is now Holly. This is the name people shall know you by and you are forever immortal," the Man's voice still echoed in the breeze as they fell back to earth, lowered by the lights of the moon.

* * *

Jack stared up, stunned at what had just happened.

_She said yes_, he thought. _Without thinking most likely, she said yes. She wants to be with me, literally forever...what have I done?_

"Jack Frost!" North's voice called through the winds. Mrs. Clause was with him in the sleigh, and they both jumped out, worried sick.

"What did you do?" North asked.

"I took Anna here to meet the Man of the Moon," Jack said, looking back up to see the lights lowering. "And h-he asked if she wanted to be immortal-a-and sh-she said... yes."

Mrs. Clause gasped with horror, looking to the skies. "Oh, that poor dear! That man is deceiving. I hope she's not hurt."

"What have I done?" Jack asked. "I just hurt the person I treasured most alongside my family, that's what I did. Oh man...I really, really messed this up. I should have listened to you, North I am so-"

"Look!" North exclaimed. The light was far closer to them now, and it shined down into the circle Jack was still standing in.

The Man of the Moon appeared before them, sending them all into a bow.

"Arise, new immortal...To all those at witness today, may they spread word of your existence, as it is worth hearing and believing in. I announce the first Secondary Guardian as yourself and you must solemnly swear to make this your duty to the children of the world: that you are there to protect them and serve them as long as they believe in you. Do you swear this?"

"I swear it," she replied in a kneeling stance as a knight would take with a king.

"Then rise, my Guardian! Rise, Holly Frost," and she stood on her feet, the light fading for them to see the two of them.

Thus, Anna became Holly, with the auburn hair streaked with orange tints and blue eyes because it is through the winter season she was brought. She wore a blue cloak that shrouded her being that was made of velvet and underneath was the most beautiful red velvet dress with a golden belt around her waist in a V shape. Her hair was long and wavy, and in it was a red band to hold up her hair in a pony's tail. The golden ribbon extended to the cloak and her boots were black and laced, complete with a high square heel to trudge through the snow.

This was Holly Frost.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter Thirteen**

The Man of the Moon made his disappearance, back to his domain, and Holly stared at the skies, reaching out her hands. A large book fell into them, covered with a large red bow as a present from the Moon Man. She sealed the book with the lock and key, placing it into her cloak pocket.

Jack stared, astounding at the sight of her, as were Mrs. Clause and North.

"You said...yes," Jack walked closer to her. Holly held the book to her chest, looking up from the snow to reveal her beautiful set of icicle eyes.

"Oh my dear!" Mrs. Clause gasped. "You look so beautiful! Holly...oh my goodness, you're a Guardian. What is your purpose?"

"To tell stories and keep the magic alive within the children of the world," Holly replied.

"Jus' like that? That's how this is going to work now? The Man on the Moon just changes people, Jack? What next, a child?" North was outraged.

"No," Jack snapped back to Santa. "I didn't even want this to happen today. I never meant for any of this to happen. I just wanted her to _meet_ him."

"Well, you can't expect the Man to let you see him to have a nice chat, do you dear?" Mrs. Clause asked, looking at Holly. "Are you cold?"

"No, I don't feel like I'm freezing to my death, that is," she replied. "But, I could still have something hot to drink."

"Let's just go home," Mrs. Clause said, looking around at everything. "It would be best, for all of us." North huffed his way back into the sleigh and Holly was about to climb in when Jack grabbed her by the arm, a look of deep regret reflecting in his face.

Holly knew he wanted her to stay, so she let the sleigh go back without them. They would walk the rest of the way.

* * *

"Why did you say yes?" Jack asked immediately. "We don't even know each other very well-"

"He saw otherwise," Holly replied. "I really do like you Jack. More than I think I would like to confess to myself, but his eyes Jack...you would not believe the things I could see in his eyes. It was the world."

Jack walked silently, but Holly sensed his lingering downfallen spirits.

"Don't be sorry, Jack," she continued. "I said what I wanted to. I know there's no going back. My life wasn't about to get any better, you know that. And this way..." She came closer to him until her face was a mere inch away. She held onto his hands with her own to feel the icy touch, the staff suspended between his right hand and her left.

"...I can stay with you. Forever." Holly leaned in, taking what she felt was rightfully hers after all they had been through. As she half-expected, his lips were ice cold, but she still felt a warmth within him like she did herself.

As she pulled away, she saw him blushing, and he felt the rise in his own temperature, which he felt was perhaps dangerously high for him.

"What's in the book?" Jack asked, wanting to avert his significant temperature changing appearance.

"Stories I suppose," Holly replied. "Let's check it out." Holly took the book and unwrapped the book like she would a delicate present. As she opened to a random page, words began to appear in ink onto the pages, as though they were being written at that very moment.

Her eyes narrowed. This didn't look like English, or any language she recognized. Still, the letters remained and she attempted to pronounce them correctly. Nothing happened as they walked a few ways.

"Latin? No, Old English I think," Jack asked, unsure. Holly looked it more closely this time, finally becoming frustrated with it.

"Oh! That would make sense," Holly said. With that, she knew the basic pronunciations of both from musical pieces she has performed in years past for school, and she convinced herself to learn more.

"Burna withinnnan fyr sawol, sceawian weg zu lihtan und treowe," she struggled a little, but the passage seemed clear. Her hair glistened ember and Holly felt herself warming up instantly.

"What was that?" Jack asked. "By speaking Old English, you're some kind of spell caster?"

"I don't know, I just feel warmer, that's all. It's nice," Holly observed. "I'm sure I'll learn more about this the more I use it."

They felt a quick silent moment before Jack spoke again.

"Holly..." Jack didn't really know what to say. "I'm speechless, really I am. I just...I don't know what to say. I didn't expect any of this to happen, much less what you've done with yourself..."

Her face fell.

"You don't like it?" she asked. Jack shook his head.

"No! I love it," he contradicted. "You're, you're beautiful, and you're a Guardian-"

"Secondary."

"Still, you're a Guardian," Jack continued. "and you have a purpose and you know what it is and you can do it forever, I know you can, and-and things have been so, so crazy today. I'm happy you chose to be with me, and tomorrow I will spread your word and you can travel with me to see the children."

Another silent moment as they stopped at the top of the hill.

"I hope this isn't too fast for you," Jack said, looking at her.

"I chose it," she replied, staring into the wind. "I'm not turning back on it now."

"Holly, I feel awful," he said. "I wish the Man on the Moon hadn't been so rushed. You confessed to him that you liked me before you could say it to _me_. And I feel like that was pushing you."

"Don't beat yourself up," she said. "It'll be better in the morning." They began walking again, back up to Santa's house where they stepped inside and Holly's hair calmed itself. Mrs. Clause had long gone to bed and Santa too had retired for the night.

As they stepped inside, Holly hung her cloak on the coat rack and Jack shut the door, keeping the snow about him. She sat by the fire and stared into her book while Jack sat on the window sill, staring at the snow.

"There are stories in here, for me to tell children. I can make up any story I want, and it appears here, as though my mind already thought it through. All I have to do is think of a topic and a happy ending," Holly said. "It's amazing."

"I'm glad you like it," Jack said, still staring out. She paged through the book some more, thinking to herself. Holly turned to see Jack seemingly still upset about the whole circumstance, the way the Man on the Moon had behaved. Sighing, she took up her book and walked into Jack's bedroom, where she found a new, queen sized bed.

She gasped at the sight, finding the room had magically altered itself for the two of them. On one side of the bed was everything Jack had in his first room, the one she'd slept it. On the other side, was a new space for her things. A closet that was already filled with seasonal clothing for her: greens and yellows in the springtime, oranges and pinks for the Summer, browns and reds for the Fall, and finally, blues and purples for the Winter. There were also blacks and whites she could wear. Really, Holly didn't see why she couldn't mix and match, but she loved the set of dresses that were awaiting in the closet.

Looking to the floor, there were boots and sandals. No tennis shoes or ice skates, but she was not disappointed in the slightest. She had Jack Frost to give her ice any time she wanted.

The bed's comforter was blue and brown, two colors she could live with, and blue sheets were beneath. In her dresser was everything she would ever need. She set the book on the nightstand that was filled with books, took off her boots, and walked back into the living room to see Jack still staring out that window.

Walking over to him, she approached carefully and put her hands on his shoulders.

"Hey," she whispered. "Can I tell you something?"

She was trying to make up for the moment Jack had spoken of earlier, and as she waited for his response, she bit her lower lip.

"Hmm?" he asked.

"I like you," she said. "Maybe more than I would like to admit to myself."

This made his head turn; he finally saw what she was trying to do. Thus, he played along.

"Really? Well that's strange...because I think, I like you too," he said. She smiled and shook her head, kissing his cheek and telling him of how his room had changed since he'd last been inside. Curious, he let her walk him inside, and he hung up his hoodie along the edge of the bed, exposing a white T-shirt to her. Setting his staff against his side of the bed, Jack snagged another pair of tan, torn pants and changed into them, throwing the others into a hamper basket.

"Mrs. Clause says she _must_ wash my pants once a week," he explained. "So, I get another pair, but don't ever let her convince you into getting the hoodie. Got it?"

"Yeah, totally," Holly agreed. "Is it because of the ice?"

"Yes," Jack replied, sitting on the bed. "That was the best pattern I ever put on it, and I can never redo it. She won't take it if I say no, but you have to say no too, in case she asks."

Holly looked at Jack's figure by the electric lamplight she had put on earlier. To see him lean back and sigh, half his face showing in the light, the other half darkened and from that angle, she swore his eyes were actually two different colors, something she had not noticed previously.

She too, climbed onto the bed, refusing the sheets, and she took off the icicle necklace she had been given, setting it on the nightstand next to her large storybook. Jack's arms were backing his head and he still focused on a distant area, this time the ceiling. Trying to take his mind off of things, Holly brought herself closer to him so she could lean on his chest, close to his neck. When he felt this, he brought his left arm down to wrap her around himself and he looked at her.

"Have fun tomorrow," Holly said. "Rest for now. Don't worry about anything."

"Yeah," Jack sighed. "You're probably right." She slid a hand to rest across his torso, resting her hand on his right shoulder and closing her eyes. He could feel her as she heaved a heavy sigh, her chest rising slowly higher until the air escaped her.

He turned out the light beside him, taking in the Northern Lights from the window before falling asleep himself.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter Fourteen**

"Jack?" Mrs. Claus asked in a whisper as she creaked the door open. He always seemed like the child she never had, and to see him sleeping peacefully, Holly curled in beside him, made her feel warm inside. She felt complete, like she still had a family that could grow.

Smiling, she closed the door. Surely, the children could wait on Jack today. It was a school day anyway, but Easter was coming up quickly, faster than Bunnymund liked to admit to himself anyway. Tooth was always at work, so she would rest for no one, but Jack...fun would always come around. He was a free spirit.

Holly on the other hand, she had a nice job to begin tonight. Jack would probably do a few rounds with her. Mrs. Claus wondered how Holly would complete her task. A secondary Guardian, she thought. It must be more laid back than what Jack and North do. She would tell children stories and help them anytime it would seem. The Man of the Moon did not give her any other instructions as he did North. Mrs. Claus remembered the day the Moon Man told North he could give his gift once a year, but that he could have the rest of the year to prepare for it.

It seemed Holly did not need to prepare what she already knew.

Mrs. Claus closed the door quietly and made her way into the kitchen where North was heading out again. After a quick kiss good bye, he headed into the factory where he would prepare his gift of wonder for the children once again.

Holly's eyes fluttered open, and at the sight of morning light, she was shocked to find Jack still lying beside her. Perhaps he had been waiting for her? No, it didn't look like it. He was sleeping in with her. Smiling, she squirmed her way out of Jack's grasp and got dressed. Today was the color blue, she decided, and so she threw the dress on and strapped on the silver belt and black boots that were already becoming her favorite pair.

She cracked the window for Jack and tied part of her hair into a small ponytail so that her hair was still long, but part of it could still be up. She was getting used to her new hair color, auburn and orange, but sometimes it still seemed strange.

Time was hers to spend and she had eternity. It didn't feel like it, but it was true. After putting her hair in a simple fashion, she walked out to the hallway. Everything was starting to hit her. Holly thought about her little brother, trying to convince herself that he would be fine. Mother always favored him anyway.

Her thoughts were prevalent, but she didn't allow them to get to her too much. She met Mrs. Claus in the kitchen, book in hand.

"Good morning," Mrs. Claus greeted. "First day...with this. Whatever this is."

Holly smiled, saying it wasn't horrible to be the way she was, and for the time being she was liking it.

"Does Jack normally sleep this late?" she asked.

"Depends," Mrs. Clause said. "I wake him sometimes, but I thought I'd let you two sleep, after last night."

Holly nodded, said she wasn't very hungry, and decided to go for a walk, letting Jack sleep. She thought of her brother some more, not caring where she walked; but there was one thing she could tell, and that was that she was heading south. She wished so badly she could fly, like Jack would do all the time. He must know the world inside and out. There was a shift in her book, and when she felt its change, she opened it to the center pages, where she found yet another saying in Old English.

She pronounced the words for a while as she walked, getting it wrong somehow or another. As she was becoming more frustrated, the book's words faded and replaced with one word in large cursive, extending through both pages.

_Believe_.

Those words faded and were replaced.

_Now...Again!_

The Old English was back onto the page. Holly stopped, and took a deep breath. She was somewhere in the mountains, but of course she had no idea where. Not to mention she was taking orders from a book.

Her hand touched the pages on the book, and this time, the words glistened with a gold shimmer. Staring intently, she said the words again, this time with eyes closed. Now, she felt weightless, and upon opening her eyes, she saw herself lifting off the ground!

Clutching the book, Holly remembered Jack's tricks for flying and she knew to go with the wind and when there wasn't a wind, she had to make one. She opened the book, crossing her legs so she had someplace to set it, and it was then more Old English appeared. She smiled, finding that she was really getting the hang of this. And thus, Holly Frost flew herself through the air, quite differently from Jack, but she then knew how to fly on her own.

She flew everywhere she could, all across the world, where she saw a sunset and a sunrise all in one day and where children laughed and played together, splashing in the puddles. Holly noticed those kids left out and wanted to help as much as she wanted to help, but she knew it would be impossible until someone believed in her.

In a little German village, it was sundown and the children were getting ready for bed. She walked along the streets until she came about a toy shop, still making toys out of wood and festive paints. She smiled, remembering her time when she was little at an old toy maker's store. He was a jolly kind of guy, never disappointed until a broken toy came to him. Even if it wasn't his own, he would still fix it. Holly remembered learning how to stitch up stuffed animals when she was nine at his shop, when a little boy came in, saddened by the large rip in his teddy bear that a bully from school came and ripped. The old toymaker had given the bear to her, and she told the boy she would do all she could.

And so, the bear was fixed by her stitching. The boy couldn't have looked happier and he was the most grateful child she thought had ever come through the old man's store. He didn't care that it was not perfectly fixed, all that mattered to him was that it was fixed by someone who cared about him and his teddy bear.

At this store, she found a more strict situation. A woman was yelling at this old toymaker, because he couldn't fix her son's toy train set that was broken. Though she hadn't any idea why the train set was broken, Holly thought this woman was delirious. She was expecting a wooden toy maker to fix a _metal and plastic_ toy train set? Holly had to approach, even though no one could see her.

She watched the sorrow in the toy maker's eyes, glasses drooping over his face, as he apologized because there was nothing he could do. The woman simply would not see reason, and Holly was protesting inside.

"He only does wooden toys, don't you understand?" Holly said aloud. "He can give you a wooden train set, but he cannot fix metal or plastic! That isn't what he does."

"He doesn't?"

The little voice startled her, and her head jerked to the little boy. He was looking straight at her.

"Can-can you see me?" Holly asked. The little boy nodded. She told him to come over by her as she walked into the back of the store where there were wooden train sets.

"You believe in me?" Holly asked. "How?"

"My sister has a book called _The Legend of Holly Claus_. Isn't that you? You have the same hair and eyes as she does," the boy said.

"Oh...well, my name is actually Holly Frost," she said. "But, I live with Santa at the North Pole. You know Jack Frost?"

"Yes! He's so cool!" the little boy said.

"Good. I'll be with him sometimes, but today I came out on my own," Holly said. "Now, what's this about a train?"

"My older brother stepped on the Caboose, which is plastic and so it broke. And the metal track is all rusted out, and my dad says we should get it fixed. It was my favorite, but I don't play with it much anymore," the little boy said.

"What's your name?" Holly asked.

"Joe," he replied.

"Well, okay Joe, here's the thing. That man over there, he builds all these toys." She gestured around the shop for him to see. "They are made of wood, and he only has toys made out of wood. You can have a wooden train set if you'd like. I'm sure he's very sorry that he can't help you fix the set you have," Holly said.

"I like this one," the boy said, grabbing a large, wooden train with wheels of all different colors. "There's no track, so I can go wherever I want!"

"Joey, who are you talking to?" the woman asked from afar.

"Holly Frost. She's like Holly Claus from Nancy's book, only cooler!" Joe exclaimed.

The toymaker's head turned, and his eyes stared straight into hers, not past her. She met his eyes too. He actually _believed_ in what the boy had said. But the woman did not, clearly, for she saw no one.

What was this book anyway? _The Legend of Holly Claus?_

Holly smiled at the toymaker, gesturing that the boy wanted this train more than his old set. She walked up to him.

"I think the boy loves the large train," she told him. "I know that you believe in me, and so I'm here to ask that you reason with the woman, take the broken set away and let the boy have this one. Maybe half price?"

The old man smiled and nodded.

"How about this?" the old man turned back to them. "I'll take this set away. I'll see if I know anyone who can fix it. I only do wood. But, I'll see if I can find anyone else. For now though, I'll let the boy have that train for half price."

The woman looked down at her boy, who had a beaming smile at the toy in his hands.

"Oh, all right," the woman agreed, letting them take the old set and purchasing the new train.

"Thank you Holly!" the boy exclaimed. The woman shook her head as they walked out of the store.

"Who are you?" the old man asked. "Why haven't I seen you before?"

"I'm new, let's just say," she said. "I'm Holly Frost...I know what it's like as a wooden toy maker. I used to volunteer at a toy shop myself, when I was a girl."

"Nice to meet you Holly. You are a Guardian?" the old man asked.

"Um, Secondary Guardian. My job is not as...rigorous let's say, as the others. If you see Jack Frost, I'll probably be with him."

"Ah. Jack Frost..." the old man had fond memories of that boy.


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter Fifteen**

Jack tried to focus all day, but his thoughts kept returning to Holly. Rather, Anna was her real name, her mortal name. What would he tell William? He couldn't lie and say she didn't make it, but what would he think if his sister had become a Guardian?

All day, he flew in and out of places, searching for her as a secondary mission. Having no luck with that, he found Tiffany's house later that night. He tapped on her window, seeing that she was, as usual, up late working on the computer. She opened the window to let him inside.

"I-pod?" Jack asked.

"Yeah, totally done for a few days now. I put a few mixtures on there. Some rock, some pop, some alternative, some dance, some of everything really. Just tell me what you like so I can better understand what you want so I can make suggestions. I took all the Christmas music off. I assumed that's what you wanted," she replied.

Jack nodded and thanked her, thrilled about her accomplishments. They talked awhile before Jack left for the North Pole, feeling that his work tonight was finished.

When he stepped into the house, he was surprised to find Mrs. Claus asleep and no sign of Holly. North seemed to be the only one to stick with a proper, normal schedule around here. Jack set down the staff in his room, feeling no presence of Holly at all. Where was that girl?

Just as he thought about it, the front door creaked open and Jack dashed out into the hallway to see Holly hanging up her cloak and holding her book.

"Hello Jack," she greeted. "How was your time with the children?"

"Fun, since I'm believed in these days," he replied mundanely. "Where were you? I haven't seen you all day!"

"Around," she told him, sitting by the fire. "Working with this book, talking with children. That same stuff you do I'll bet."

"Wait, you were around children...who already know you exist?"

"Just a happy coincidence I think. His name was Joe, and he told me that there is a book with a girl in it similar to me. Her name is Holly Claus though, and everyone around here knows I'm a Frost." She smiled as she thought of the name.

Jack smirked, sitting with her, but a little farther away.

"Wow, now _that_ is lucky," he was astounded by such news that someone already knew of her existence and was excited. So, Holly told her tale of her day, watching Jack hang on nearly every word she said.

"I hope your belief is never jeopardized and that children believe in you," Jack said. "It's a horrible thing, to go without that. You get lonely."

Holly knew Jack was a little set off, and that tide hadn't passed over him yet.

"Are you...are you sure, you don't regret this?" Jack asked. "We haven't even-"

"Doesn't matter," Holly said. He sighed, making sure she was all right with this. "What matters is that I get a messenger bag for this book. It gets tedious having to carry it around all day."

"I'm sure the room has something," Jack said. "Are you coming to bed?" Holly nodded, closing the page she'd been reading and walking with Jack into their room. She opened her closet to find Jack was right about the messenger bag. It was a fine dark brown with just one large flap for the book to sit in. The rest was a front pocket, for whatever she wanted.

Holly stared across her room, watching Jack's touch freeze the window with frost into patterns of leaves and snowfall. The winter was ending, and it was Bunnymund's turn for Easter. Remembering her work was not seasonal, Holly found a balance for her life. She would know all of the Guardians on their times off. Living at the North Pole was a perk, and her interests were piqued at the thought of Springtime as one of the Guardians.

Allowing herself to step into the closet, Holly changed into a long, yellow nightdress and sat on the bed, putting the shoulder bag on the headboard post. Jack took off his hoodie and changed into a pair of sweatpants before lying beside her.

"Thank you," he whispered. She smiled as she drew herself in closer to him.

* * *

"Tiffany," Jack rapped on her window, and she answered him. He jumped inside with Holly, but she didn't see Holly yet. It was Holly's first night out on the town, so Jack thought it would be helpful if she sought out a few of his own closer friends tonight.

"I need you to believe in someone. Someone who can tell great stories about whatever makes you happy. Someone with orange in her hair, and a girl who can make anything happen. Her name is Holly," Jack said, and he waved his hand over her face, scintillating snowy flakes.

Tiffany blinked her eyes a few times, and right away, she looked at Holly with an unbelievable expression.

"Whoa," she said, her jaw dropping. "You're..." She walked up to Holly.

"You're beautiful," Tiffany said. Holly smiled and looked down at her feet, thanking the girl for such a compliment. Tiffany wanted a story about a magical kingdom and a foolish king, and Holly took out her large storybook.

Tiffany sat on her bed after turning off her computer for the night. As Holly read her the story, Jack flew around town, telling all the children still awake about Holly Frost.

"What is Jack to you?" Tiffany asked, yawning because the story was finished.

"Someone very special," Holly said.

"My mom says that when a girl meets someone special, her last name changes because she wants to be a part of that person's life. Is your last name Frost, like Jack's?"

Holly nodded.

"Yes, it is. That is the name I was given, and I like Jack very much," Holly confirmed.

"Good night, Holly," Tiffany said, yawning again and pulling her covers over her.

"Good night, Tiffany," Holly replied, placing her book back into her bag and taking her exit out onto the rooftop, closing the window behind her.

She sat alone on the roof for a while, thinking about her relationship with Jack. It had only been a few times of them actually being together and now it was forever. She still had to gather the courage to say the word "love" to him. She knew within the depths of her heart and entire being that she loved him, but it was saying it that seemed so seemingly strange. He was such a fun-loving guy, and the children loved to be around him. To think of that fun-loving guy actually in love could be puzzling to them, and yet all the same appropriate.

Holly sighed, thinking about Jack and where she should take it from here. Flying herself up into the air, she glided through the stillness of the night, watching as Sandy began to work his magic. It was time for the children to fall asleep. She flew up next to him, and the Sandman reeled himself back, a question mark above his head.

"I'm Holly...the new Guardian," she said. Sandy held an exclamation point now and his head nodded vigorously to show he understood now. A hat appeared on his head and he tipped it in greeting to her. She smiled at his actions, wishing him luck with tonight's work.

A fairy passed her as she made her way to the North Pole again. One child was enough for Holly tonight. She was just getting used to her job and the word needed to spread. She was perhaps too shy to advertise herself as someone truly special, but that didn't seem to matter, since Jack was doing all that for her.

The fairy waved and she extended a hand out back to her before resuming her way through the skies. Jack spotted her above the clouds and joined her.

"I suppose my work is done," Jack said. "Ready to go home?"

She nodded, saying she just wanted to sleep herself. Jack let her onto his back so she could lean against him as he flew back to the North Pole. Santa was just locking up shop when they walked through the doorway, where they hung their coats. Jack had worn his dark brown cloak today, which Holly enjoyed.

"The work of a Guardian is never done," Jack said. "But I suppose that's okay. For me at least."

"You know," Holly said as she took off her boots by the bedside. "I guess I never thought forever through..."

Jack looked. "Are you regretting it? Because if you are..."

"No, I'm not regretting it," she countered. "I just didn't look at the larger picture. What I wanted was to be with you, away from my own life, and into something I loved. I loved these stories as a child, and I knew they were real. But...have I been selfish? My poor brother."

Jack sat on the bed.

"Write him a letter," Jack told her. "Explain yourself. That's what I'd have done if I could, but no one could see me."

Holly nodded, thinking that was the best way to go at this point.

"Jack, I never actually said it to you."

"Said what?" he asked.

"That I...that I love you," she told him. Jack scaled her with his eyes, wondering if such a thing were possible.

"The Man on the Moon just took the opportunity before it came," Holly sighed. "So, I feel a little gipped." Jack laughed.

"So did I when I was risen," Jack said with a smile still on his face. Him laughing made her cheer up. "I mean, he never told me what I was supposed to do, so here I am, stuck for 300 years in a gray area I suppose."

"Now that's a gip," Holly replied. "I suppose I'm luckier than that."

Jack lay in the bed, staring at the ceiling as Holly sat herself at a desk with a pen and began to write her letter.


	16. Chapter 16

A/N: Last Chapter. I really enjoyed writing this one. Thank you all for the reviews, and if anyone comes upon this story in the future, reviews are still welcome!

**Chapter Sixteen**

By the time Jack awoke, Holly was soundly sleeping beside him. He shook her awake, and asked her how long she'd been sleeping.

"What time is it?" she asked.

"Eight a.m.,"

"Then...eight hours," Holly replied. Jack smirked, shaking her some more, but she mumbled in protest. Jack took his pillow and hit her on top the head.

"Heeeyyy..." Holly's eyes shot open and when Jack removed the pillow, she struck back.

"Whoa!" Jack ducked, but Holly was quicker than that.

She smacked him in the side, making him laugh as he set his own pillow down.

"There, now you're awake. Come on!" Jack exclaimed, running into the closet to change. Holly took to her own, putting on her royal blue dress with the silver belt. She thrusted her shoulder bag over herself and snatched her letter, already sealed, hurriedly and followed Jack to the kitchen.

"It's like I have two children," Mrs. Claus said, shaking her head as she served them breakfast.

They smiled at each other, eagerly awaiting their day. Holly told Jack they had a letter to deliver and she took it out for him to see. He nodded, saying it would be their first stop.

On their way out, they each grabbed their cloaks and headed off into the snowy wilderness. A clear day up at the North Pole it seemed. Jack slid on the ice, Holly holding onto his shoulders as they glided through the snow. Then, he took off into a nice, clean-cut flight.

Holly told Jack where to go, even if he already knew. When he landed on the roof, Holly set the letter inside of William's room so he would get it when he came home from his last day of school before his Easter Break.

Nodding, Jack took her to another part of the world. New York City to be precise. There was plenty of distraction in that place.

* * *

Heaving a great sigh, the little boy walked into his house.

"Any sign?" his mother asked, but he shook his head with despair. She sighed, but not because she missed the girl. Now she had to do all the housework Anna normally took care of. It was annoying.

"She'll turn up, she's gotta eat," she reassured the boy. "Sit down to dinner, William."

The boy told his mother he was not hungry, as he hadn't been for the past week especially. His sister was gone, without a trace. They had found the crack in the ice, but there was no sign of her body. It was like she had just disappeared, that's how the police put it to them.

His feet dragged like heavy weights as he climbed up the few stairs to get to his room. He passed his sister's and sighed again, opening the door, knowing by now she would not be there.

It was in his own room where he found the note that would end his depression and sulking behavior.

_To my dear William,_

_This letter is coming to you because I have many things to tell you that I do not and cannot imagine that I would ever say to you. First of all, I am sorry, but I will not be returning home. In a sense, your sister is no longer of this world, and so I would very much wish it that you come to a closure with that. Anna is still me, yet she is not me. I'll explain this better as the letter goes on._

_Second of all, you must keep what I am about to tell you a secret. I am a Guardian. I became one, like Jack Frost, but it was a very complicated endeavor. I do not say complicated like what Mother says when she comes home tired or frustrated. I mean sincerely that the matters were complicated. You may get another letter when you are older to explain everything entirely._

_I am sorry that it has to be this way, but this was something I really wanted so I could have a better life. Your life is already heading a great direction, mine was not. I promise I will visit you soon, William, and I hope you believe in me._

_My new name is Holly Frost, and I tell stories to the children of the world who need them. I can sense that other children out there are struggling and they need my help to make it through another night. I know it seems impossible to imagine, but there are places where children are not eating, and they are living on the streets with nothing but the clothes they wear. I want to help all the children, so don't worry, I will be back for you, someday._

_I will come and visit you with Jack someday, all right? Believe in me, as you have before I was even a Guardian._

_Love, your sister_

_~Holly Frost (aka Anna)_

And so, he watched into the night sky, waiting for her to come to him, with Jack Frost! They had to come around eventually, he just knew it. However, it was Easter Sunday tomorrow, he needed to sleep...

"hmm..." he thought for a few moments, but chose his sister over the Easter eggs. He thought to stay up all night if he had to.

There was a silent hole forming under his floorboard, but he looked to see the shifting around in his room. There was the Easter Bunny!

"Crikey!" the rabbit exclaimed. "What are you still doin' up, mate?" The bunny hopped towards the bedside.

"I'm waiting for my sister. She's with Jack Frost, she told me so," William said.

Bunnymund smiled.

"You're her brother, aren't you?" he asked. The boy nodded.

The rabbit dug into his basket and pulled out two special eggs.

"This is from them," he told the boy. On the first egg, there was a picture of baby bunnies, candy, and snowflakes. That must be Jack's. The second one was filled with stripped patters and a flower that stood on the tip of the egg. That one was surely his sister's.

Seeing the boy's smile made Bunnymund smile.

"Are you sure they're coming tonight?" Bunnymund asked.

"No...but I got the letter today," William replied. The Easter Bunny told the boy that he would send word to them after tonight. Surely, they wouldn't pick his night to visit someone. No, they knew better than that.

"Get some sleep," Bunnymund told the boy. "There'll be eggs in the morning. I'll be sure to send word. I know your sister. She'll come to visit you soon, I promise."

The boy, though seemingly disappointed that his sister wouldn't come tonight, was ultimately reassured that she _would_ come. Someday.

"Good night, Easter Bunny," William said.

"Good night, mate," the rabbit replied. But, before he left...

"Why do we call you a bunny?" the boy mumbled.

The bunny looked back at the child, asking what he meant.

"You're just...you're bigger than a bunny," the boy said, making Bunnymund smile as he shook the boy's head.

"Just keep believing," said Bunnymund. "Happy Easter."


End file.
